In a series of developments in the investigation into the Karachi university blast in which three Chinese nationals and their Pakistani driver were killed, law enforcement agencies in Karachi raided multiple locations and took at least seven people connect into custody, Aaj News reported on Thursday.

In a raid in Karachi’s Delhi Colony area, police said it recovered sim cards belonging to both Pakistani and Indian companies, suggesting involvement of foreign elements.

According to the investigation team, the raid was conducted on the identification of the people arrested in the case. The agencies also recovered other documents from the flats that could further help in the investigation.

The role of the husband is also under investigation, with sources suggesting that he is believed to be the mastermind. “He vanished with the two children following the attack,” they added, saying that he had prior information of her plans.

While the nature of the connection isn’t immediately clear, agencies are also investigating the husband’s link to the June 2020 attack on the Pakistan Stock Exchange in Karachi that was also claimed by the banned Baloch Liberation Army group.

KU security lapse

The attack at the Confucius Institute has raised questions about the security situation at one the country’s biggest institutes of learning where the majority of CCTV cameras are dysfunctional.

The current campus security adviser Dr Muhammad Zubair, appointed a month ago, is yet to gain access to the control room. The passwords and control remain with the previous campus security adviser, Dr Moiz, who left over a month ago.

The ex-adviser retains access to campus security through his cell phone, while Aaj News Karachi Bureau Chief Raffat Saeed said that it was also available to those close to Dr Moiz.

He said that the university’s vice chancellor and registrar were unable to identify the location of the surveillance room while the university continues to make monthly payment of Rs100,000 in lieu of security cameras.

Moreover, law enforcement agencies have decided to include the Karachi university professors into the investigation.

The day after

The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) on Wednesday said it had arrested the suicide bomber’s husband, Dr Haibtan, and other relatives and also registered a case.

Balochistan’s Parliamentary Secretary Bushra Rind, in a press conference in Quetta on Thursday, confirmed that the husband was in custody. She said that during interrogation, the husband revealed that his wife was mentally ill.

On the same day, law enforcement agencies raided a house on the outskirts of Karachi that they said is registered in the name of the father of the suspected suicide bomber Shari Baloch.

Police sources said laptops and other documents were seized from the house. It was also reported that vehicles with government number plates had recently visited the residence.

They added that Shari Baloch’s sister’s wedding had taken place at the same house a little over a month ago.

Rickshaw driver cleared

The man who drove the rickshaw in which the suspected suicide bomber arrived at the Confucious Institute has been cleared after questioning, said the CTD.

“The rickshaw driver had picked her near Maskan Chowrangi as a passenger. He had no connection to the suicide attack,” a source within the CTD told Aaj News.

With additional reporting from Mujeeb Ahmed in Quetta