Pakistan: One policeman killed, four injured in blast targeted at foreign diplomats
Sep 23, 2024
Swat [Pakistan], September 23 : One policeman was killed and four sustained injuries following a 'remote-controlled bomb explosion' that targeted a police van guarding a convoy of foreign envoys en route to Malam Jabba from the Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, Geo News reported.
According to District Police Officer (DPO) Zahidullah Khan, the attack was directed towards a group of foreign diplomats, and as a result, one officer died and four others were hurt.
Khan, who also confirmed the explosion, stated that the impacted mobile van was leading the convoy carrying 11 foreign diplomats. He said the deceased policeman was identified as Burhan, while the four injured included a sub-inspector, as reported by Geo News.
Following the incident, police officials told the media that all envoys were safe and had been relocated to Islamabad.
They said that when the explosion happened in the Sherabad suburbs, the diplomats were on their way to Malam Jabba following an event at the Chamber of Commerce in Mingora.
It was confirmed by the police that ambassadors from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Ethiopia, Portugal, Russia, and other nations were in the convoy, Geo News reported.
The injured officers were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) in Saidu Sharif. After the incident, a large number of police enforcement agencies were stationed in the area. Till now, nobody took attribution for the assault.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari strongly denounced the incident. According to a statement issued by the President's House, Zardari paid his respects to the police officer killed in the attack. He also prayed for the quick recovery of everyone hurt in the incident and sent his condolences to the bereaved family.
Notably, Pakistan has been witnessing rising violent attacks since the return of Taliban to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, according to Geo News.
The two provinces saw a sharp rise in deadly attacks last month, according to data from the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS). The digital database of security incidents managed by the Islamabad-based think tank suggested an alarming situation as the number of attacks jumped from 38 in July to 59 in August.
These incidents included 29 attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 28 in Balochistan, and two in Punjab. Meanwhile, KP witnessed 25 casualties in the 29 terrorist attacks during August.
