SWAT: At least one police officer was martyred, and four others were wounded in a ‘remote-controlled bomb explosion’ targeting a police van guarding a convoy of foreign envoys heading to Malam Jabba from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district on Sunday.
District Police Officer (DPO) Zahidullah Khan confirmed the explosion, stating the attack targeted a group of foreign diplomats, resulting in one officer losing his life and four others being injured.
DPO Khan detailed that the affected mobile van was leading the convoy of 11 foreign diplomats, adding that the martyred policeman was identified as Burhan while four wounded cops include a sub-inspector.
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Police officials informed the media that all envoys were safe after the explosion and had been shifted to Islamabad.
They added that the diplomats were heading to Malam Jabba after attending an event at the Chamber of Commerce in Mingora when the explosion occurred in the suburban area of Sherabad.
The police confirmed that the foreign ambassadors in the convoy included representatives from Russia, Portugal, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, and other countries.
The wounded officers were transported to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) in Saidu Sharif. Heavy contingents of law enforcement agencies were deployed in the area following the incident.
They added that the diplomats were heading to Malam Jabba after attending an event at the Chamber of Commerce in Mingora when the explosion occurred in the suburban area of Sherabad.
The police confirmed that the foreign ambassadors in the convoy included representatives from Russia, Portugal, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, and other countries.
“All the ambassadors remained safe in the attack and had been shifted to a safe place before their departure to Islamabad,” Deputy Inspector General of police Mohammad Ali Gandapur told Reuters.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack.
Condemnations pour in
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the bomb blast near a police van in Swat. In a statement issued by the President’s House, he paid tribute to the police officer who embraced martyrdom in the attack.
He also expressed condolences to the bereaved family and prayed for the swift recovery of those injured in the explosion.
“Terrorist elements are enemies not only of the country and nation but of humanity itself,” he said, reaffirming his commitment to continuing efforts for the complete eradication of terrorism.”
In his message of condemnation, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi decried the dastardly attack on the convoy, expressing deep regret and sorrow over the loss of life.
“The sacrifices of our security forces and police in the war against terrorism will not be in vain,” he added.
Rise in terror attacks
The nation has been reeling under rising violent attacks since the Taliban rulers returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The two most vulnerable 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 KP, 28 in Balochistan, and two in Punjab.
Meanwhile, KP witnessed 25 casualties in the 29 terrorist attacks during August.
“The banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, Lashkar-e-Islam, Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) and few local Taliban groups were reportedly involved in these attacks,” the report stated.
Against this backdrop, the federal cabinet in June this year approved Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a reinvigorated national counter-terrorism campaign following the Central Apex Committee’s recommendations under the National Action Plan to root out terrorism.