Assassination attempt: K-P governor escapes rocket attack in Orakzai

Masood Kausar was attending a tribal jirga when the attack took place.

PESHAWAR: At least eight people were injured, two of them critically, after militants fired two rockets at a jirga convened by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Barrister Masood Kausar in Orakzai Agency. However, the governor survived the attack without any injuries, said a senior official of the Fata Secretariat.

The governor was visiting Orakzai to address tribal leaders and to inaugurate the Kalaya Degree College in Kalaya town. A security official said that a total of five rockets were fired during the tribal jirga, one of which landed relatively closer to the tribal assembly.

Fata Secretary of Law and Security Tariq Hayat confirmed the number of injuries, saying, “There are a total of eight people injured, two of whom are severely injured.” He added that the injured included government officials and tribal Maliks.  Another source said that the injured included security officials, doctors and government officials from the livestock and education department.

“The governor was receiving a briefing before the start of the function when the rockets struck. He is safe,” senior government official Fazal Qadir told Reuters. “One rocket fell near the helipad, while the other landed inside the ground where the rally was being held,”        he added.

Eyewitnesses said that one of the rockets had been fired before the arrival of the governor, while another was fired as soon as he landed. “The injuries were caused by one of the rockets which landed close to the location where the guests were to be seated,” said Shahzeb, a local present during the attack.

Local sources from Kalaya town said that one of the rockets had landed on a house in the village of Larra, killing one person and injuring another. However, the incident could not be independently verified.

The governor, however, went on to complete his visit and meet the tribal elders. While speaking to the media, Kausar termed the attack ‘the last refuge of militants nearing their end’. Kausar went on to stress the need for education in the tribal belt, saying “our goal is very clear: to regain peace and start developmental projects in the region”.

Kausar’s visit to the area comes after recent clashes between security officials and militants in Dabori, Upper Orakzai Agency. Orakzai was termed ‘clear’ from militants following a military operation in the region. However, the bordering area of Terah Valley of Khyber Agency is still considered a safe haven for militants.  (Additional input from agencies)

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2011.