Zahoor Hussain, District Coordination Officer (DCO), said the two-hour relief in curfew was announced to facilitate the people of the district, expressing the hope that the abducted police officials are safe.
Two hundred troops of the Pakistan Army have surrounded many villages, while the Rangers have also set up outposts as part of the operation against criminal elements in Punjab’s reverine area after notorious gangsters led by Chhotu inflicted heavy losses on police.
Seven policemen and as many miscreants have been killed since the police launched the drive against gangsters.
The DPO says the curfew would continue after the brief pause, adding that safe recovery of the policemen was top most priority. Army and civilian leaders decided to launch an operation against militant organizations and criminal elements in Punjab after a deadly suicide bombing killed over 60 people at a park in Lahore last month.
Military spokesman Lt. Gen Asim Bajwa has expressed resolve to accomplish the mission by employing whatever resources required. He said army troops have taken over the charge of the operation and police and Rangers would continue to participate under the army.
Relatives protest, curfew imposed
Relatives of the policemen taken hostage held a demonstration Saturday in Jampur to demand their safe recovery from the Chotoo gang’s captivity.
Scores of protesters gathered at Traffic Chowk in Jampur and chanted slogans against the “ineptitude’ and “ill-planning” of police authorities which paved the way for casualties and abductions.
On the other hand, members of the Chotoo gang demanded safe passage to leave the area and the halting of the operation in exchange for the hostages.
Sources said the gang is allegedly using the hostages as human shields against shelling and firing by law enforcement agencies.
Formally launching a grand operation against hardened criminals on Friday, military forces resorted to shelling at their hideouts in the troubled riverine area of Rajanpur district.
Helicopter gunships were used to hit suspected positions and bunkers set up by criminals affiliated with the Chotoo gang, a senior security official told Dawn. The initial air strikes lasted about 20 minutes. Moreover, security forces taking part in the operation, codenamed Zarb-i-Aahan, also had the backup support of mortars fired by Rangers.
