In Pakistan on December 29, 2015, a terrorist suicide bomber killed scores of people at the office of National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) in Mardan. Media reports state that the terrorist was riding a riding an explosive-laden motorcycle, and was stopped by security when he tried to enter the courtyard area of the office area.
The terrorist detonated the bomb on the motorcycle killing one of the security guards, Parvez Shaheed, and impacting the hundreds of people standing in line outside the NADRA building. The police authorities state that the terrorist used 10 kilograms of explosive material in the terrorist bombing.
Parvez Shaheed, security guard, at NADRA stopped suicide bomber from getting closer to office, and was killed.
At the time of this posting, the Pakistan Tribune is reporting that 26 have been killed and 50 injured. The toll may increase due to the severity of the terrorist attack, with some of the injured in critical condition. The Pakistan Tribune reports that “[h]undreds of people were standing in queues to acquire Computerized National Identity Card (CNICs) and other public documents at the time of the attack.”
The terrorist attack clearly killed numerous Muslims in Muslim-majority Pakistan.
The Voice of America reports that a group formerly affiliated with the Taliban, that has now joined with the ISIS terrorist group, has assumed responsibility for the terrorist attack. The Voice of America report states: “Jamaat ul-Ahrar, which is part of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) umbrella militant group and has reportedly joined forces with IS, has claimed responsibility for the bombing. Pakistani officials have consistently denied that IS has a presence in the country. But several recent attacks by IS-affiliates have kindled fears that the militant group has been successful in making inroads into a nation ripe for IS activities. Pakistan’s counterterrorism authorities on Tuesday told VOA that they arrested a group of 13 suspected militants operating a recruiting and training facility for IS in Punjab state.” In March 2015, reports stated that Jamaat ul-Ahar was working with people supportive of the IS group “Islamic State of Khorasan” (ISK). There has continued to be conflicts within the Pakistan Taliban groups in a power struggle for leading terrorist hate. Another report states the VOA has been told by the Pakistan Taliban that they were not associated with the attack.
Prior to this attack, the NADRA had been in the news for a totally different reason. It has also come to R.E.A.L.’s attention that the NADRA had also verified the CNIC of Tashfeen Malik, who was one of the ISIS supporter terrorist in the December 2 terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California.
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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) stands in support of our universal human rights for all, and we stand in defiance against those, including terrorist and hate groups, which seek to attack such universal human rights, dignity, and security for all.
We cannot support human rights, if we also do not reject those who seek to rob our brothers and sisters in humanity of their lives and security, which are also our universal human rights.