Major breakthroughs had been made in identifying the terrorists who attacked the Bacha Khan University in Pakistan, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Asim Bajwa.

He even said that, the phone calls made by the terrorists are traced, after recovering two cell phones from them.

“When army reached the premises, all four attackers were alive. They were contained in the hostel and were eventually eliminated on the roof and the stairs,” ISPR chief said.

Adding that the terrorists had a lot of ammo, including grenades, Bajwa further said, “Their call logs were analyzed and an intelligence picture was established, with most data having been collected. Forensics and fingerprints of the attackers had been shared with National Database Registration Authority (NADRA), and an intelligence picture is also being created with input from NADRA.”

“We have gathered almost all relevant data on who they (attackers) were, from where they came and who supported them. But as the information is sensitive, it will be processed and updated and then shared with the public.”

“We cleared the sanctuaries of terrorists after which certain people crossed the border towards Afghanistan and are operating from there. That aspect is also under investigation,” ISPR chief added, opining that, terrorists were getting instructions from outside and were receiving calls.”

“They (terrorists) are targeting symbols of progress. As long as the facilitators and financiers of terrorists are present, they can carry out an attack at any place and time. What matters is how we respond to this as a nation,” he said.

Currently, Intelligence-based operations (IBOs) are being carried out to hunt down the facilitators of the terrorists involved in Bacha Khan University attack, Bajwa added.

Bajwa further briefed the incident to the media saying, four terrorists attacked the university. They were using two mobile phones with Afghan SIMs on which calls were received from different locations, including Afghanistan.

By Phani Ch