Spell of violence: Mohmand blast kills three of a family

A polio worker, his brother and cousin die in IED explosion

GHALLANAI:

Three relatives, including a polio worker, died when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off on Wednesday in Mohmand Agency. In a separate incident, gunmen killed a levies official in Ghallanai, the agency headquarters.

Political administration in Upper Mohmand Subdivision said the IED blast took place when a polio worker Muhammad Gul was walking near his house along with his brother Sakhi Gul and cousin Miskeen in the Alinagar area of tehsil Safi.



As a result, Sakhi Gul and Miskeen died on the spot while the polio worker suffered serious injuries. He was rushed to Muhammad Gat Hospital and later to Peshawar where he succumbed to his injuries.

Following the incident, though political administration mounted a search operation and arrested six suspects.

Political Agent Khushal Khan later visited the homes of the deceased men and announced Rs50,000 compensation for each of the victims. He also announced that one member of each family will be given employment in the Khasadar force.



Acts of violence are common in Mohmand Agency, and in the past few weeks militants have targeted pro-government tribal chiefs and state functionaries. However, no polio worker was ever attacked or threatened in the agency, which is regarded as polio free since 2012.

A senior official related to polio immunisation campaign in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) told The Express Tribune that no polio campaign was being carried out in the agency these days, adding that investigations into the incident were under way.

He said Mohmand Agency is among those parts of Pakistan from where no polio case has been reported since 2012. “Polio workers face no such hurdle in the area and generally no one refuses to get their children immunised. However, in case of any refusal the administration takes strict action,” he said.

Meanwhile, unidentified gunmen killed a Levies official Zabit Khan last Tuesday in the Ghazi Kor Kandao area in Ghallanai. This is the third targeted killing in the Mohmand Agency headquarters in one week.

No group or individual immediately claimed responsibility for the two attacks.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2014.