Terror ruled out in Swat van attack

IGP says all mountaintops have been cleared of militants

SWAT:

Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Inspector General Police (IGP) Muazam Jah Ansari has said that the murder of a school van driver in Swat on October 10 was an incident of personal feud and one accused has been arrested in the case.

Addressing a press conference in Saidu Sharif, Swat on Thursday, he said that all the mountain-top positions set up by militants had been eliminated in Swat and security forces and police personnel had been deployed there.

Commissioner Malakand Division Shaukat Ali Yousafzai, DIG Malakand Zeeshan Asghar, DIG CTD Javed Iqbal and PCTD Izhar Shah were also present on occasion.

“Normalcy will return to Swat in two or three months,” he added.

“We are also investigating the murder of a father and son in which military personnel were also injured on bypass road. Facts will soon be shared with the public,” he added.

IGP shared that after the fall of Kabul to Taliban in August 2021, a large number of militants and criminals had been released from prisons and this development had an impact on the entire region.

“Let me make it clear. All those involved in creating law and order situation would be dealt with an iron hand,” he stressed, adding that after the attack at a school van, the entire region was gripped by widespread panic.

“Protest demonstrations broke out against the attack led by politicians. It was termed a terrorist attack but police opened investigation in the case and discovered that it was an incident of domestic dispute and the in-law of the deceased Hussain Ahmad has been arrested,” he maintained, adding that search was underway for two accused. One of them had already escaped to Dubai.

The IGP said that Interpol will be contacted for the arrest of the accused who was hiding in Dubai.

“CTD is investigating the Mingora bypass incident in which army men were injured,” he shared.

IGP said that within three months normalcy will return to Swat and people will once again head to the scenic valley in large number.

“In Dir Lower too an attack was made on students but the situation became clear within hours that they were caught in cross firing between two groups,” he noted, adding that the extortion call and letter to Minister Education Atif Khan was also being investigated.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2022.