Slain Khasadar Force officer’s residence attacked

Rockets launched at house as Afghan situation creates law and order problem in province

LANDI KOTAL:

On Thursday night, the house of a slain Line Officer of Khasadar Force Zarmat Khan was attacked in Jamrud with a rocket which partially damaged the boundary wall of the house.

Police said that the attackers were two in the number who managed to escape after the inmates returned the fire. The inmates were constantly receiving extortion calls from Afghanistan. Their residence has been attacked twice before.

Police told The Express Tribune that the Line Officer Zarmat Khan was killed in a suicide attack in Jamrud. His son naib subidar Zarmat Khan was killed in a targeted attack and now the family is constantly receiving threatening calls from Afghan SIMs.

“The family was a target in the past and it is a target even now. An FIR has been registered and police opened an investigation in the case,” said the police official.

Earlier on Tuesday night, a Government Girls Middle School was attacked with an IED in Tank which left the boundary wall damaged. Police later claimed that the contractor was receiving calls from Afghan SIMs in which the callers demanded donations for ‘jihad’ and when he didn’t oblige, the school he was working on was attacked.

There are many more people in the tribal districts where dozens of people are constantly receiving extortion calls.

Read Targeted killings on the rise in N Waziristan

“There were many terrorists who were in jails in Afghanistan and released from prison by Taliban. These people are veteran fighters who have vast experience in terrorism attacks and a network in Pakistan which could be used for such type of attacks,” he said, adding that the withdrawal of the US forces from Afghanistan has motivated Pakistani terrorists too and as a result, there was an increase in targeted attacks at police and extortion calls across the K-P province.

Several high-level meetings were held on law and order chaired by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and attended by all stakeholders. The provincial government even proposed postponing the local body elections in the province for fear of worsening the law and order situation in the province which was strongly opposed by the Election Commission on technical grounds.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 25^th, 2021.