Counterterror police official shot dead in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: Deputy Superintendent of Police Riazul Islam of the Counter Terrorism Department was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on a motorbike on Charsadda Road on Saturday.



DSP Islam was walking with his son to a mosque near his home when he was targeted, according to SSP (Operations) Muhammad Sajjad Khan. “DSP Islam was taken to hospital but he succumbed to his injuries before reaching there,” he said, adding that DSP Islam’s son was wounded in the attack.

Zulfiqar Ali Babakhel, the spokesman for the Lady Reading Hospital, said doctors were working to save the son’s life.

Immediately after the attack, police cordoned off the area and launched a door-to-door search operation, SSP Khan said. By that time, however, the attackers had managed to escape. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Five years ago, DSP Islam had survived a roadside bomb attack with serious injuries. The deceased belonged to Lakki Marwat district.



Violence has declined in recent years following a series of military offensives in the tribal areas as well as concerted efforts to block the militants’ sources of funding. But the remnants of militant groups are still able to carry out periodic bloody attacks, particularly in the northwest. (With additional input from AFP)

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2016.