3 personnel martyred as attack on Rangers facility in Karachi ‘foiled’: ISPR

Three personnel were martyred during a fire exchange after a terrorist attack last night on a Rangers facility in Karachi was “decisively foiled”, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Sunday.

The attack on the Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) Camp, located in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, was carried out by terrorists “belonging to Indian proxy, Jamaat ul Ahrar”, the ISPR said in a statement.

The military’s media affairs wing added: “The assailants, after a blast at [the] main gate of the Camp, attempted to breach the perimeter security.

“However, their nefarious designs were decisively foiled by the vigilant and resolute response of Rangers troops, eliminating three kharijis and capturing one khariji, who is an Afghan national, in injured condition.”

The Pakistani government uses the term khariji (outcast) when referring to the perpetrators of terrorist attacks on Pakistan.

The ISPR further said that during the fire exchange, “three brave sons of soil, rendered the ultimate sacrifice and embraced martyrdom in the line of duty, while four soldiers are injured”.

Sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate any other “Indian-sponsored” terrorists in the area.

It affirmed that the “relentless counterterrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country”.

Last night, it was reported that the attack on the local headquarters of the Sindh Rangers had left three paramilitary personnel martyred and three terrorists dead.

Speaking to Dawn, Sindh Inspector General Javed Alam Odho had said the terrorists had rammed the main gate with their vehicle.

Odho further said that a “mopping-up operation” was underway and that the area had been cordoned off by Special Security Unit (SSU) commandos, Anti-Terrorist Force (ATF) and rangers personnel.

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed confirmed to Dawn that one injured paramilitary trooper was brought to the hospital after sustaining gunshot wounds to his leg.

Meanwhile, a Reuters reporter at the scene said firing had ended and the situation was calm.

Earlier, law enforcers rushed to the incident site after heavy firing and an explosion was reported in the area, according to Dawn News.

Special units, including the Rapid Response Force and police commandos, were dispatched to the scene to take control of the situation, the broadcaster added.

The general area was also cordoned off by police and paramilitary personnel.

Rescue 1122 Sindh said it had received reports of an explosion near Block 5 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar and immediately dispatched teams to the scene from its central command and control centre.

According to the rescue service’s spokesperson, Chief Operating Officer Dr Abid Jalaluddin Sheikh was also dispatched to the incident site on the directives of Chief Minister’s Adviser on Rehabilitation Gyan Chand Essrani and Rescue 1122 (Sindh) Director General Brig (retd) Wajid Sibghatullah.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had taken notice of reports of an explosion and firing near Mosamiyat Chowrangi and sought a detailed report of the incident, according to his spokesperson.

The chief minister contacted the Sindh IG and the Karachi additional inspector general (AIG), directing them to ensure that police immediately reached the site and took necessary action to ascertain the nature of the incident.

Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar had also taken notice of the incident and sought a detailed report from the AIG. He directed that all details of the incident be submitted as soon as possible, according to the Home Department.

The last major terrorist attack in the metropolis was a bombing near Karachi airport on October 6, 2024, which left one person dead and 11 others injured, including foreign nationals.

The attack was claimed by the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). Police registered an FIR against leaders of the BLA and others three days after the incident.

In November 2024, the Sindh home minister confirmed the arrest of two suspects involved in the Karachi airport attack that targeted Chinese officials.

In February 2023, police and military personnel responded to an attack on the Karachi Police Office on Sharea Faisal.

An hours-long gun battle between terrorists and security forces — comprising Pakistan Army Special Service Group (SSG), Sindh Rangers and Sindh Police — left four people martyred and 19 injured. All three terrorists belonging to the banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed.

After two consecutive months of improvement, Pakistan’s security situation deteriorated sharply in May, driven primarily by escalating terrorist violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to the monthly security assessment released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).

According to the report, the country witnessed 128 terrorist attacks during May, compared to 101 attacks in April, representing a 27 per cent increase. The rise reversed the downward trend observed during the previous two months and underscored the persistent security challenges confronting conflict-affected regions of the country.