LAKKI MARWAT: In a major act of sabotage, terrorists of Fitna al-Khawarij targeted a key pipeline supplying gas from Bettani Gas Field in Lakki Marwat to Punjab, using explosives to destroy a main section of the line, the police confirmed on Wednesday.
“Khawarij terrorists blew up a gas pipeline in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district that supplies gas to Punjab,” Qudratullah, Assistant spokesperson to the Lakki Marwar District Police Officer, said.
He said that the explosion triggered a fire and caused a massive gas leak. “Actually, the pipeline was targeted in the Torwah seasonal stream area, which provided cover for the perpetrators,” he pointed out.
“Soon after the blast, security forces rushed to the site and cordoned off the area,” the DPO’s spokesperson further said, adding that emergency teams had also been mobilised to control the fire and assess the extent of the damage.
“Investigations are underway to identify and apprehend those involved in the attack,” he said. “Officials have condemned the incident as an assault on critical national infrastructure aimed at destabilising the region and disrupting essential energy supplies.”
Pakistan has been grappling with an alarming surge in terror activities, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.
Lakki Marwat has long been a hotspot for terrorism and violence, with unrest dating back to the early 2000s. While security operations brought a period of relative calm, militant activity has resurged in recent years, straining local peace efforts and heightening fears of renewed instability.
Earlier this month, three terrorists were killed in the district’s Kot Kashmir area during a gun battle with the police and local peace committee, in which a cop was also martyred.
