Five cops on polio duty martyred in Bajaur blast

PESHAWAR:

Five policemen were martyred while 27 people injured in a blast near a police van in the Mamund tehsil of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district.

According to a senior government official in Bajaur, “A police truck transporting around 25 policemen for anti-polio drive duties was targeted by an improvised explosive device.”

According to details, 22 of the injured were shifted to the Khar District Headquarters Hospital from where 10 of them, who were seriously wounded, were referred to a Peshawar medical facility.

The polio campaign in the area was suspended due to the blast while rescue teams in Mohmand and Lower Dir districts were put on alert.

The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar strongly condemned the attack, expressing the resolve to continue the anti-polio campaign with full force till the complete elimination of the crippling virus from the country.

Kakar 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.

The premier stated that the entire nation salutes polio workers and security personnel, adding that the terrorists would never succeed in their nefarious designs.

Further, caretaker K-P Chief Minister Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah condemned the blast and expressed his grief on the martyrdom of police officials.

Arshad prayed for the speedy recovery of the wounded, directing the district administration to ensure the provision of timely aid to them.

The CM said, “The police morale would not be defeated by such cowardly attacks.”

Arshad said the nation saluted the K-P police for rendering “eternal sacrifices” for the protection of public lives and properties, vowing to provide every possible support to the bereaved families.

Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf also conveyed his condolences on the loss of precious lives.

Separately, a Counter Terrorism Department official was martyred while three others injured in a firing incident within the premises of Peshawar Judicial Complex.

Police said the inured included a policeman and two persons, adding that a suspect was arrested and shifted to a police station for investigation.

The police said the suspect, under the guise of a lawyer, fired shots due to personal enmity, adding that weapons used in the attack had also been recovered.

Further, a Pakistan Army soldier was martyred in an exchange of fire with terrorists in K-P’s North Waziristan, the military’s media wing stated in a statement.

The Inter-Services Public Relations stated, “Own troops effectively engaged terrorists’ location and apprehended one terrorist in injured condition.”

The ISPR said, “Havaldar Muhammad Zahir, a 41-year-old resident of Mardan, embraced martyrdom.”
It stated that sanitisation operation was being carried out to eliminate any terrorist found in the area, adding that the security forces of Pakistan were determined to eliminate the menace of terrorism and such sacrifices of brave soldiers further strengthened their resolve.