- As police and law enforcement repel attacks in Mohmand, Nowshera, and Bannu, two officers are hurt in KP.
- President declares that “nation and army are united” in the fight against terrorism.
- Zardari and Gen. Munir attend the funeral of the fallen officers.
MOHMAND, PESHAWAR, AND LAKKI MARWAT: Over the weekend, police in several areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa resisted militant strikes, despite President Asif Ali Zardari’s resolve to eradicate terrorism from the nation and his declaration that the martyrs’ blood would not be in vain.
Following the Saturday martyrdom of seven soldiers, including two officers, in the Mir Ali area of North Waziristan, militants used hand grenades to target a police checkpost in Ambar Dub Chowk, a tehsil in the Mohmand district.
According to District Police Officer Muhammad Ayaz Khan, the attack began at 11:20 p.m. when two hand grenades were used by unidentified attackers to attack the police position, and then there was random gunfire.
As a result, following first care, Shoaib and Muhammadullah were injured and sent to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) in Peshawar. An FIR has been filed by police against extremists.
Sunday saw an attack on a group of law enforcement and security personnel in Bannu, under the jurisdiction of the Otmanzai police station. When they came under fire, the law enforcement officials were engaged in a search and strike operation in the region.
However, following a fierce gunfight, the attackers left the area. An official informed Dawn that the only thing damaged in the attack was a police mobile, and that the police had started searching the area to find the perpetrators.
Similarly, the Motorway Police complained to the Counter-Terrorism Department that their patrol squad had been attacked on Saturday night close to Kund, Nowshera.
According to a note that Sub-Inspector Iqbal gave to the CTD, the car was attacked in Kund. Thankfully, the incident resulted in no injuries. Around 11:30 p.m., there was an attack on the car. To look into the matter, we have forwarded a letter to the CTD,” SI Iqbal said to Dawn. The deputy superintendent of police and the recently appointed district police officer visited various police stations in Lakki Marwat, which has been the target of recent militant attacks, individually and evaluated security measures.
During duty hours, DPO Tariq Habib urged the cops to wear helmets and flak jackets and to be on guard. In a similar vein, DSP Gul Muhammad Khan ordered night patrols by the police throughout the city and promised to personally oversee them.
Zardari promises to pay back
President Asif Ali Zardari declared during the burial service for Lt Col Syed Kashif Ali and Capt Muhammad Ahmed Badar on Saturday night that the nation will exact revenge for their murders and that the victims’ blood would not be in vain. According to the president, Pakistan would not think twice to retaliate if someone attacked it within its borders. He continued by saying that the people and the army were fighting terrorism together.
“This honorable offering serves as yet another magnificent example of our brave boys’ unwavering commitment to defending our homeland by making the ultimate sacrifice. As said by the president, “Our armed forces have the support of the entire nation,” according to APP.
In addition to President Zardari, attendees at the funeral included the chief of army staff, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff committee, the foreign and interior ministers, as well as residents and relatives of the martyrs, according to APP.
Khawaja Asif is in Sialkot
Separately, at a press briefing at his residence in Sialkot Cantonment, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated that unity was required in the battle against terrorism. “Our security forces have made countless sacrifices against terrorism and the defence of this country has been kept strong by the blood of our martyrs,” the news agency stated.
The minister stated that terrorism was once again on the rise, and that only a united government could fight this war. He claimed that “this war could spread to every street and neighbourhood” if there was a division.
He declared that the PML-N “had successfully broken the nexus of terrorists, militants, and insurgents in the country and it would eliminate the terrorists again and would not hesitate from any sacrifice to do this” .
