Gunned down: Two police officials killed in retaliatory action in Swabi

Banned militant outfit claims responsibility for incident

SWABI: At least two traffic police constables were gunned down by armed men in Aman Chowk, Swabi on Friday.

Swabi DSP Arab Nawaz Khan said the constables were on duty in the locality when the incident occurred.

“They have been identified as Arshad, a resident of Panjman, and Gohar Zaman, a resident of Kalu Khan,” he said.

According to the DSP, two unidentified armed men approached the constables at around 2:40pm and opened fire on them. Both the constables died on the site while the culprits managed to escape.

Police officials and residents rushed to the spot after they heard the gunshots. The deceased were shifted to the hospital for an autopsy. Their remains were handed over to their families after their funeral prayers were offered at Shah Mansoor Police Lines. A large number of police officials participated in the funeral.

Crackdown

According to Arab Nawaz Khan, a series of measures have been taken to arrest those involved in this heinous crime.

“Check posts have been set up at all entrance and exit routes across the district,” he said.

He added, “We have also initiated a series of raids and search operations in the district to find Arshad and Zaman’s killers.”

Retaliatory action

In an email sent to the media, a spokesperson for a banned militant outfit has claimed responsibility for the attack. The spokesperson said it was a retaliatory action against the killing of militants in the region. Earlier this week, four militants were killed in a police encounter in Swabi.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 24^th, 2015.