Abducted cop found martyred in Tirah

In yet another tragic incident in the volatile Tirah Valley of Khyber tribal district, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) province, a police constable named Ajmal Khan was martyred.

The constable had been abducted from a cricket ground in the remote Ghalbai area of Bar Qambar Khel. His lifeless body was later discovered in the rugged mountains of the region.

The local police took possession of the body and subsequently arranged for an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The funeral proceedings for Constable Ajmal were conducted at the Shah Kas Police Lines, where he was accorded a solemn guard of honor.

The ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including the District Police Officer (DPO) of Khyber, Saleem Abass Kulachi, as well as officers from the army and the district administration. The slain constable, originally from Tirah, was then transported to his ancestral town for burial, where family, friends, and fellow officers bid their final farewells.

This incident is without doubt another distressing case of terrorism, an official said.

The local police registered a First Information Report (FIR), initiating a thorough investigation into the matter.

The district of Khyber, situated in the K-P province, has unfortunately been a hotbed of terrorist activities, enduring regular attacks that pose a grave threat to the security and stability of the area.

Just over a month before this incident, on May 26, two police personnel were martyred during an exchange of fire with terrorists at the Khyber police lines.

The terrorists managed to escape after encountering retaliatory fire from other police officers. The attack also resulted in injuries to two additional police officials.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7^th, 2023.