Daily Times

At least two policemen lost their lives, while another sustained injuries on Saturday after terrorists attacked a security check post in Charsadda.

The police said in a statement that the militants opened fire on the check post in Dheri Zadad area of the district, leaving three cops injured.

However, police official identified as Imran succumbed to his injuries while being shifted to the hospital and another cop Ramiz died during treatment at the DHQ Hospital, the police said in a statement.

DPO Sohail Khalid said in a statement that police launched a search operation in the area to arrest the assailants. A Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson said in a statement that they received a 35-year-old injured policeman, who received four bullet injuries.

“Nothing can be said about the condition. A team of doctors is providing emergency medical treatment [to the injured],” he added. ANP leader Aimal Wali Khan condemned the terrorist attack on the police check post, saying that the growing unrest in the province is “reflecting the critical situation”. “Terrorists are openly targeting common people including police,” he added.

Those fighting for the throne of Punjab have left the people of K-P at the mercy of terrorists, said Khan. He lashed out at the former ruling party, saying that “PTI has given the province a gift of terrorism, extortion and target killing during its 9-year rule”. “ANP is standing with KP police against terrorism and unrest.”

The attack comes two days after two police officials lost their lives while three others sustained injuries in a terrorist attack led by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on a security check post in Khyber tribal district. Meanwhile, Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department arrested five suspected terrorists belonging to banned organisations during intelligence-based operations (IBOs) across the province, the CTD spokesperson said. The press statement said the arrested terrorists belonged to the proscribed TTP and Sipah-e-Sahaba.

One of the terrorists arrested from Lahore was identified as Mehmood Musa – a “key operative of the TTP”, the CTD stated. Other terrorists, who have been rounded up, were identified as Abdul Hanan, Rahmat Ali, Muawiya, and Muhammad Arabi. The department claimed that the terrorists had planned a “large-scale terror attack” in the province, adding that the operations to nab the outlaws were conducted in Lahore, Bahawalpur, and Sheikhupura. Four cases were registered against the suspects and they were shifted to an unidentified location for investigation, the CTD said.

“On the instructions of IG Punjab, 458 combing operations were conducted this week.”

The statement added that 97 suspects were arrested during combing operations while 52 cases had been registered.

Last month, Punjab Police Inspector General Aamir Zulfiqar Khan had issued orders to put security on high alert across the province. He had directed that the security arrangements of sensitive and public places should be tightened in all districts, including the provincial capital Lahore.