Policeman abducted, martyred in Hassankhel

PESHAWAR/BANNU: A policeman was abducted and later martyred in the Hassankhel area, around 40 kilometres south of Peshawar, in the second such incident reported there within 72 hours, police officials said on Monday.

Officials said Munsif Azam, who was serving in the Elite Unit in Hassankhel subdivision, was kidnapped on Sunday and martyred. His body was recovered the same day.

The funeral prayers for the martyred policeman were offered at the police headquarters in Peshawar. The ceremony was attended by Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Dr Mian Saeed Ahmad, SSP Operations Farhan Khan, senior military and civil officials, and relatives of the deceased.

The latest killing came two days after another similar incident in the same area. On Friday night, policeman Muqaddar Khan was abducted by unidentified men from Hassankhel and later martyred. His body was also found in the area.

Recent attacks in Hassankhel

Hassankhel lies on the boundary between Peshawar and Kohat districts and has seen several intelligence-based operations in recent months aimed at dismantling militant groups. The area has also witnessed militant attacks in which several law-enforcement personnel lost their lives.

On February 8, police repelled a militant assault on checkpoints in Passani village, which borders Hassankhel subdivision. Speaking to Dawn at the time, Peshawar CCPO Dr Mian Saeed Ahmed said militants had attacked a police post, but the personnel returned fire and forced them to flee.

No casualties or injuries were reported in that attack, though the exact nature of the assault and any other losses had yet to be determined.

On Nov 26, 2025, militants blew up a gas pipeline in the Hameed Khan Machine area, about five miles south of the police post in Passani. Residents said the pipeline caught fire after the blast. A police official said militants had also blown up the same pipeline two years earlier.

Bomb defused in Bannu

In Bannu district, police said they foiled a sabotage attempt on Monday after around 15kg of explosive material planted in a plastic drum by militants on a roadside in Kakki tehsil was defused.

Officials said the device could have caused widespread destruction if it had exploded, but the bomb disposal unit successfully neutralised it.

In another incident, members of a local committee in the Merka Bera mountainous area of Wazir subdivision in Bannu exchanged fire with militants, forcing them to retreat.

Section 144 imposed during anti-polio campaign

Authorities have also put in place strict security arrangements across Bannu district in view of the ongoing anti-polio campaign.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Faheem imposed Section 144 from April 12 to 20 to maintain law and order. According to an official notification, display of weapons, pillion riding and the use of tinted vehicle windows have been banned.

Authorities warned that violations of the restrictions would invite strict legal action under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Meanwhile, local elders expressed concern over the fragile law and order situation and warned of street protests. During a jirga, former senator Haji Baz Mohammad Khan said he had presented 16 points for peace in the area that were approved by the Apex Committee but had not yet been implemented.

He also warned that if certain key roads in Bannu were not reopened by April 20, residents would reopen them by force.