DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Three police personnel, including an assistant sub-inspector, were martyred on Wednesday when an improvised explosive device (IED) struck their vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan’s Paniyala area, according to local police.
District police spokesperson Yaqoob Zulqarnain told media that the blast occurred within the jurisdiction of the Shaheed Nawab Khan police station. ASI Gul Alam, Constable Rafiq and driver Sakhi Jan were killed on the spot, while another constable, Azad Shah, survived unhurt.
Police cordoned off the area soon after the explosion and launched a search-and-strike operation, the spokesperson said. “The attackers are being hunted, and the incident is being investigated from all angles,” he added.
Senior officials, including the Paniyala DSP, the station house officer and District Police Officer (DPO) Sajjad Ahmad Sahibzada, reached the blast site. A statement from the DPO’s office said the attack was carried out by “unidentified terrorists”. The DPO condemned the incident as a “cowardly act” and said such assaults would not dent police morale.
Later, DI Khan Police said the DPO reviewed evidence collected from the site and received a briefing from Saddar SP Muhammad Nawab Khan, Paharpur SP Syed Asad Ali Shah and the district bomb disposal unit about the nature of the attack and initial findings.
The ongoing search operation involved police, the Al-Burq and Elite forces, and bomb disposal teams. Security was heightened in sensitive areas following the blast.
By late afternoon, police confirmed two militants had been killed during an exchange of fire with security personnel. According to the police statement, the shootout lasted “for long” and resulted in the killing of two terrorists associated with “Fitna-al-Khawarij”, with reports suggesting two others were injured.
Condemnations
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi strongly condemned the attack and expressed deep sorrow over the loss of the three policemen. He hailed them as martyrs who had “laid down their lives for the nation” and praised the police force for fighting terrorism “on the front line” despite limited resources. He vowed that the sacrifices of the fallen officers would not go in vain.
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the “cowardly and brutal” attack. He paid tribute to the martyred policemen, calling them “heroes of the nation”, and reaffirmed that the struggle for peace in the province would continue “at all costs”.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the attack, prayed for the martyrs and conveyed condolences to their families. He directed authorities to identify and bring the perpetrators to justice, praising the “great sacrifices” of KP Police in the fight against terrorism.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also denounced the attack, saying the bravery and sacrifice of KP Police officers would “always be remembered”.
The attack comes amid a surge in assaults targeting law enforcement personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as Pakistan continues to confront a persistent wave of militancy.
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