PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: Five police officials were martyred and 27 people were injured on Monday in an IED blast, targeting a police vehicle in Mamund tehsil of KP’s Bajaur district, the police and admin officials said.
District Police Officer (DPO) Kashif Zulfiqar confirmed the blast, saying five police officials embraced martyrdom in the incident.
The police officer said the vehicle was transporting policemen for security of anti-polio vaccination teams when it was targeted with an IED. The bodies and injured were moved to the hospital, where an emergency was declared, he added.
Police in #Bajaur refused to take Salute Parade for their fallen comrades in today attack. An official of police saying to the govt officials present there to stop the “Engineered War” on their soil. We don’t need your salutes but we need a solid solution for the ongoing war. pic.twitter.com/Cmnxfkno20
— Rahim Wazir (@RahimWazir5) January 8, 2024
The blast coincides with national anti-polio campaign began across the country o Monday.
“A police truck transporting around 25 policemen for anti-polio campaign duties was targeted by an IED (improvised explosive device),” Anwarul Haq, a senior government official in Bajaur district, told AFP.
Dr Wazir Khan Safi, medical superintendent at Khar District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ), said that 12 of the wounded were being treated at the hospital while 10 seriously injured had been referred to a Peshawar medical facility.
Malakand Division Commissioner Saqib Raza said the polio campaign in the area had been suspended due to the blast. According to a Rescue 1122 statement, rescue teams in Mohmand and Lower Dir districts were also put on “alert”.
The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.
Condemnations
Following the blast, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar strongly condemned the attack and expressed the resolve to continue the anti-polio campaign with “full force till the complete elimination of the poliovirus from the country”, state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
The premier prayed for the martyred policemen and condoled with their families. He also directed the authorities to provide all the possible medical assistance to the injured persons.
Deeply saddened to learn about the huge loss of lives in terrorist attacks in Kerman. Pakistan condemns this heinous act and stands in solidarity with Iran. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Iranian Government and people at this difficult time @raisi_com 🇵🇰 🇮🇷
— Anwaar ul Haq Kakar (@anwaar_kakar) January 3, 2024
PM Kakar further stated that the entire nation salutes polio workers and security personnel, adding that terrorists would never succeed in their nefarious designs.
In a statement, caretaker KP Chief Minister Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah condemned the blast and expressed his grief on the “martyrdom of police officials”.
Praying for the speedy recovery of the wounded, CM Shah directed the district administration to ensure provision of timely aid to them.
“The police morale would not be defeated by such cowardly incidents,” the chief minister asserted.
Highlighting that the KP police have given “eternal sacrifices” to protect the public’s lives and properties, CM Shah said the nation saluted them. He vowed to provide “every possible support” to the bereaved families.
National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf also conveyed his condolences on the loss of precious lives.
Former climate change minister Sherry Rehman expressed her “heartfelt” sympathies to the families of the deceased.
“The terrorists have not only attacked the police but also our children’s health,” she said in a post on social media platform X.
باجوڑ میں انسدادِ پولیو ٹیم کی سیکیورٹی پر مامور پولیس اہلکاروں پر حملے کی شدید مذمت کرتے ہیں۔ پیپلز پارٹی دھماکے میں شہید ہونے والے 5 پولیس اہلکاروں کے لواحقین کے ساتھ دلی ہمدردی اور یکجہتی کے ساتھ کھڑی ہے۔ ہم اس حملے میں زخمی پولیس اہلکاروں کی جلد صحت یابی کیلئے دعا گو ہیں۔…
— SenatorSherryRehman (@sherryrehman) January 8, 2024
She asserted that attacks on security teams providing security to polio teams “would not be tolerated under any circumstances”. “The miscreants do not want complete eradication of polio from this country,” Rehman stated.
CTD official martyred at Peshawar judicial complex
Meanwhile, a Counter Terrorism Department official was martyred while three people were injured in a firing incident on the premises of Peshawar’s judicial complex, the police said.
In a statement, the city police said that the injured included a cop and two persons from the targeted side.
The suspect was arrested on the occasion and shifted to a police station for further investigation, the statement said.
It added that the suspect disguised himself as a lawyer and fired shots due to personal enmity. Weapons used for the incident had also been recovered, the police said.
Army jawan martyred in North Waziristan
Separately, a soldier of Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom in an exchange of fire with terrorists in North Waziristan, the military’s media affairs wing said.
“Own troops effectively engaged terrorists’ location and apprehended one terrorist in injured condition,” the Inter Service Public Relations said in a press release.
🚨#ISPR
On 8th January 2024, fire exchange took place between security forces and terrorists in North Waziristan District.#PakistanArmy #Pakistan #ISPROur troops effectively engaged terrorists' location and apprehended one terrorist in injured condition.
However, during… pic.twitter.com/maEDRHgtrk
— Pakistan Armed Forces News 🇵🇰 (@PakistanFauj) January 8, 2024
It said Havaldar Muhammad Zahir, a 41-year-old resident of Mardan, embraced martyrdom. “Sanitisation operation is being carried out to eliminate any terrorists found in the area,” the ISPR stated.
It added that the security forces of Pakistan were determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and “such sacrifices of our brave soldiers further strengthen our resolve”.
KP lawyers boycott courts on Tuesday
The lawyers community across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will boycott courts on Tuesday (tomorrow) in protest against the Peshawar Judicial Complex shooting, in which one cop died and three civilians received bullet injuries on Monday.
The Peshawar Bar Association and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council gave the strike call. The lawyers will not appear before courts in Peshawar and also boycott court proceedings in other parts of the province on Tuesday in protest, the legal fraternity’s bodies add.
They demanded a thorough investigation into the security lapse that allowed the assailant to enter the Judicial Complex with an automatic weapon.
It is pertinent that a cop died and three civilians sustained bullet injuries when a man opened fire at his opponents in the Peshawar Judicial Complex.
According to police reports, the assailant, posing as a lawyer, entered the Judicial Complex armed and opened fire in the courtyard, resulting from longstanding enmity.
The police swiftly responded to the gunfire, apprehending the suspect who was later transferred to Thana Sharqi for further investigation.
