AC, Tehsildar among five martyred in Bajaur blast

BAJAUR:

Five people, including two senior district administration officials, were martyred and 16 others sustained injuries, four of them critically, in a roadside blast in the Bajaur district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Wednesday, police and district administration officials said.

According to the officials, the bomb targeted a government vehicle, carrying Nawagai Tehsil Assistant Commissioner Faisal Ismael, and four Tehsildars, on Nawagai road, near Sadiqabad Phatak in the Khar Tehsil.

Because of the blast, Assistant Commissioner Faisal Ismail, Tehsildar Abdul Wakeel, Constable Zahid, and a passer-by, Fazal Manan, died on the spot, while Police Sub-Inspector Noor Hakeem succumbed to his injuries while being transported to Peshawar in critical condition.

K-P Police Inspector General Zulfiqar Hameed said that initial findings indicated that the vehicle of assistant commissioner was the primary target. He added that bomb disposal units were present at the scene and working to determine the nature of the explosion.

Local officials said that preliminary investigation suggested that the blast was caused by an explosive-laden motorcycle parked outside a workshop. Investigators estimated that 7 to 10 kilogrammes of explosives were used. Forensic teams were collecting evidence from the scene for further analysis.

Soon after getting information of the blast, locals and rescue personnel reached the spot and undertook the rescue operation. The bodies of martyrs and injured persons were taken to Tehsil Headquarter Hospital Khar.

The injured included Constable Ayaz, Constable Muhammad Zamin, Constable Saidur Rehman, Constable Fazal Haq, Waqar Khan, Hayat Ullah, Umar, Irfan, Abdul Samad, Jameel, Fazal Badshah, Zaer Gul, Fazal Hakim, Bilal, Atta Ullah and Zahir.

The funeral prayers for the martyrs were held in Khar Police Lines. Bajaur Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ali, District Police Officer (DPO) Waqas Rafique, the Bajaur Scouts commandant, officials and large number of locals attended the funerals. Later, the bodies were sent to their ancestral areas for burial.

The condemnations and condolence messages poured in after the incident with President Asif Ai Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemning the bomb blast. They expressed grief over the death of an assistant commissioner Nawagai, tehsildar and other personnel.

The president expressed his condolences and sympathies with the bereaved families. He said that terrorists were the enemies of humanity who targeted people and reiterated the resolve of taking all possible measures to completely eradicate the scourge of terrorism.

In a separate message, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the terrorists were targeting innocent people for which they would be given exemplary punishment. While praying for the early recovery of those injured, he directed for providing all possible medical facilities to them.

K-P has seen an uptick in terrorist attacks in the recent months. In the first six months of 2025, the province witnessed 756 terrorism-related incidents, including five suicide bombings, according to a semi-annual report released by the Central Police Office (CPO) on Wednesday.

The report paints a troubling security situation across the province, with a rise in terrorist activities including kidnappings, extortion, and bombings. Moreover, it said that 94 extortion cases, 41 incidents of target killings and 38 cases of kidnapping have been documented.

The report said that 80 improvised explosive devices (IED) attacks, 12 missile strikes and 35 hand grenade attacks were carried out by the terrorists. Likewise, it said, 269 incidents of gunfire targeting police and officials were also reported.

Besides, 44 cases were registered against individuals allegedly facilitating terrorists and 13 cases related to terrorist financing were also lodged. The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) recorded 750 cases this year and is actively investigating 561 cases related to terrorism.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)