PESHAWAR: A Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) official was martyred and two others were injured when explosives stored inside a police station in Peshawar went off on Sunday morning.
Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Dr Mian Saeed Ahmad confirmed the casualties, saying the explosion took place in the CTD police station due to the detonation of old explosive material kept in the ammunition room. “The fire spread to other ammunition, causing further explosions,” the statement said.
Police and security forces cordoned off the area as clearance operations were launched. The Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU), rescue services, and fire brigades worked at the site for several hours to contain the situation. “Preliminary assessment shows this incident does not appear to be a terrorist attack,” the CCPO added.
According to a statement from his office, a special investigation team of the CTD reached the police station shortly after the blast to collect evidence and review CCTV footage. Police sources said the statements of officers present during the explosion were also being recorded. The BDU and the CTD’s forensic experts gathered material evidence from the debris.
Officials confirmed that part of the building, including its basement, collapsed under the impact of the blast.
CM orders probe
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took notice of the incident and sought an urgent initial report from Inspector General (IG) Zulfiqar Hameed. The CM directed that the cause of the explosion be determined and that safety measures for handling explosives and ammunition be strengthened.
He expressed deep grief over the death of the CTD official and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also expressed sorrow over the explosion, paying tribute to the police officer’s sacrifice. He lauded the services of law enforcement personnel, saying their commitment continued to protect citizens from grave risks.
Inspector General Hameed later directed CTD Additional IG Jawwad Qamar to submit a detailed report within five days.
The martyred officer was identified as Bilal Khan. His funeral prayers were held with full police honours at Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines, attended by Governor Kundi, IG Hameed, AIG Qamar, CCPO Ahmad, and other senior officials.
Similar incidents
Police officials noted that the cause of Sunday’s blast appeared similar to the explosion that destroyed the city police station in Swabi district last year. On September 26, 2024, three people were killed and around two dozen injured when 600 kilogrammes of explosives stored in the station caught fire. The building, the largest in the district, was completely destroyed and remained unreconstructed a year later.
Officials had attributed the Swabi blast to a combination of human negligence and unsafe storage practices.
Peshawar and its adjoining areas have seen a number of fire-related incidents in recent years, many linked to poor safety standards and outdated infrastructure.
In July 2024, four people were killed and two injured when a house in Kochi Bazaar caught fire. In October last year, a massive blaze at a tissue paper factory in the Hayatabad industrial area raged for more than 26 hours before being doused by 130 firefighters and 31 fire tenders.
Earlier, in June 2024, another fire in the Nauthia Phattak area gutted at least 80 shops selling used goods and injured three people.
