Constable martyred in terrorists attack on police checkpost in Peshawar

A police constable was martyred when terrorists attacked the Spina Mela police checkpost in Hassan Khel, Peshawar, last night, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mian Saeed Ahmad said on Friday.

According to the CCPO, police personnel on duty responded with heavy retaliatory fire, confronting the attackers with courage and determination and forcing them to retreat and flee.

Police said reports that several terrorists were injured during the exchange of fire were being verified. A search operation was launched in the area to trace the fleeing attackers.

Meanwhile, funeral prayers for the martyred constable, Muhammad Jalal, were offered with full state honours at Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines in Peshawar.

K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, Chief Secretary Dr Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan, Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed, Inspector General Frontier Corps North Major General Rao Imran Sartaj, Pakistan Army and Counter-Terrorism Department officials, CCPO Dr Mian Saeed Ahmed, Peshawar Commissioner Captain (retd) Khalid Mahmood, police officers and personnel, and the constable’s family attended the funeral.

Read: Three terrorists killed in joint CTD, police operation in K-P's Tank

A police contingent presented a salute to the martyred constable, while the governor, chief secretary, and police and Pakistan Army officials laid floral wreaths on his coffin and paid tribute to him.

Governor Kundi and the provincial police chief expressed their condolences and sympathies to the bereaved family, saying the sacrifices of police martyrs were a valuable asset to the department.

“The cowardly acts of terrorists cannot demoralise the police,” Governor Kundi said.

He added that the police force would continue its efforts with unwavering resolve to protect the country and its people, maintain law and order, and eliminate terrorism.

K-P has witnessed a series of attacks targeting police personnel in recent months. On October 8, Station House Officer Daud Khan and his gunman, Farhad, were martyred when armed men opened fire on a police patrol near the Karak-Kohat boundary. Earlier, on September 28, three traffic police personnel were killed when unidentified gunmen attacked their vehicle in Tank district.

On September 25, Counter-Terrorism Department Constable Muhammad Afaq was martyred, and three other personnel were injured during an intelligence-based operation against suspected suicide attackers in Peshawar’s Garhi Sherdad area. One of the deadliest recent attacks took place on September 18, when a blast followed by an assault at Kohat Police Lines killed 15 police personnel among 23 people. Eight attackers were killed during the subsequent clearance operation.