Sheikh Rashid warns of more terrorism-related incidents in the federal capital 

ISLAMABAD, Jan 18 (SABAH): Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Tuesday warned of more terrorism-related incidents in the federal capital after a policeman was shot dead and two others were injured at a check-point.

The Monday night gun battle, in which two militants were also shot dead, started when two gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire on a police check-point in the vicinity of the Karachi Company police station.

“This was not an incident of dacoity or theft. Terrorists opened fire on them [police officials]. This is a signal for us that terror incidents have started taking place in Islamabad,” he said while speaking to journalists after the martyred police official’s funeral prayers.

The interior minister said authorities needed to remain alert, as he noted the incident was “purely of terrorism”. Sheikh Rashid said the authorities had tracked down the “sleeper cell” of the terrorists through their motorcycle. “Islamabad police and other forces are on alert.”

“He (Munawar) was on duty and terrorists shot a burst [of fire] on him,” Rashid said. “This was not an incident of theft or robbery. We have received a kind of signal that terrorist incidents have started happening in Islamabad. “This is the first incident of the year and we need to be very alert,” he added. The minister said the martyred policeman demonstrated through his sacrifice that Pakistan’s civil armed forces lay down their lives for the country’s protection and were highly alert. Regarding the perpetrators, he said the two individuals were terrorists and had been killed.