Staving off a crisis: Attack on Chilas police station repelled

Two men arrested for allegedly attacking passengers

GILGIT: Police officials repelled an attack on a police station in Chilas town of Diamer district on Saturday morning.

“Jal police station in Chilas town was attacked at 3:30am,” a police official told The Express Tribune. “Armed attackers opened fire on the police. A group of officials were on high alert owing to recent attacks in the districts and retaliated. The attackers managed to flee.” Later in the day, commendation certificates were awarded by Diamer DC Usman Ahmad to officials who had repelled the attackers.

Backlash

According to the police official, no casualties have been reported so far. The attackers are believed to be involved in the kidnapping of two Special Communication Organisation (SCO) officials that happened earlier this month.

On November 8, police had launched door-to-door search operations in Darel and Tangir valleys to rescue the officials. A large number of suspects had been arrested in the crackdown. “This attack was an attempt to divert attention from the operation,” the DC told The Express Tribune. “However, we will make every attempt to purge the miscreants from the district.”

The DC said the attackers had reached the wall next to the police station. “However, police officials took timely action and managed to ward off attackers,” he said. “The attackers were planning to enter the premises to steal weapons.”

The attack came days after armed men in Diamer valley launched a similar attack on a police station that left seven people injured.

In custody

Meanwhile, police have arrested two men in the region for allegedly attacking passengers recently.

A security official told The Express Tribune, Aminullah, who hailed from Diamer, was arrested from Mansehra while Dawood, a resident of Darel, was arrested in Gilgit. The G-B government had placed a bounty of Rs500,000 on Aminulah’s head. They have been taken into custody.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2015.