Main accused admits he facilitated Sehwan shrine blast

A suspected Daesh militant standing trial over the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine bombing recorded his confessional statement, saying he had facilitated the suicide bomber in carrying out the terror act that killed 82 people earlier this year.
Hundreds of other devotees were wounded in the powerful blast that occurred during a dhamal and a power outage at the shrine in the town of Sehwan on February 16.
In his statement recorded before the judicial magistrate (West) under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code, Nadir Ali Jakharani alias Murshid admitted that he had also provided shelter to the suicide bomber and other terrorists at his house in a village in Kandhkot.
He said the arms seized from his possession were used in that firing that took place after the explosion.
The court ordered keeping the accused in jail on judicial remand.
Counter-Terrorism Depar­tment (CTD) and Rangers’ personnel had arrested Murshid on November 16 when he was riding his motorcycle in the Manghopir area, where he had had arrived from Balochistan.
Police said those who had planned and carried out the bombing were associated with the militant Islamic State (IS), a banned outfit also known as Daesh.
Previously, Jakhrani was said to have been an activist of another banned outfit, Lashakar-e-Jhangvi.
He had allegedly planned the attack along with other suspects, identified as Ghulam Mustafa alias Doctor, Saifullah, Aijaz Bangulzai, Tanveer, Farooq Bangulzai, Zulqarnain and suicide bomber Babar Brohi.
The plan was made in Dera Murad Jamali. Murshid is said to have acted as the leader of the group as he was familiar with the area of Sehwan Sharif.