At least seven police personnel, including a station house officer, were martyred on Monday when a police armored personnel carrier (APC) was hit by a powerful blast in the Gomal area of Tank district.
According to police spokesman, the explosive device exploded near Kot Wali Canal on Gomal-Jatta Road when the APC mobile of Gomal police station was on routine duty.
The martyrs were identified as Gomal Police Station SHO Ishaq Khan, Sub-Inspector Sher Aslam Khan, Constable Abdul Majeed, Constable Arshad Ali (Elite Force), Constable Hazrat Ali, Constable Allah Khan, and Constable Ehsanullah.
The bodies of the martyrs were shifted to the hospital, where legal formalities, including post-mortems, were completed under the supervision of the DPO. Police officials said investigations are underway from multiple angles and efforts are being made to arrest those involved in the attack.
Later, the funeral prayers of the martyred police personnel were offered at Police Lines Tank with full state honors. The funeral was attended by Commander SHS, DPO Tank Shabbir Hussain Shah, Deputy Commissioner Tank Tanveer Ahmed, SP Investigation Asif Mahmood, DSP Headquarters Naqeebullah Khan Marwat, and a large number of police officers and personnel.
Separately, at least two members of a local peace committee were martyred and four armed militants were killed during a clash in Orakzai district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to police on Monday, the clash took place in Upper Orakzai at Yakh Kandao area, where peace committee members engaged in an exchange of fire with an armed group.
The two martyred peace committee fighters have been identified as Zarkawi and Mumtaz Mullah.
Police officials further stated that several members of the armed group were also injured in the clash. Security forces and police are monitoring the situation and further investigation is underway.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ordered an “immediate investigation” into the incident and directed that those responsible be brought to justice at the earliest, according to state-run Radio Pakistan.
The premier reaffirmed the government’s commitment to completely eradicate terrorism from the country.
President Asif Ali Zardari also expressed his deep grief over the martyrdom of police personnel in the “terrorist attack”, a statement from his office said.
He paid tribute to the cops’ “bravery and their passion to serve the country”. The president prayed for the martyrs’ elevated ranks and for patience for their families.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also strongly condemned the attack and hailed the sacrifices of “five policemen”.
“The courageous men of the police sacrificed their today for the nation’s peaceful tomorrow,” Naqvi was quoted as saying by his ministry.