Daily Times

At least 12 policemen were martyred and more than 40 people wounded in explosions at a Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police station in Swat‘s Kabal area on Monday night.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Inspector General Akhtar Hayat Khan said security officials were on “high alert” throughout the province.

Meanwhile, the provincial health department imposed a state of emergency at hospitals in Swat.

CTD DIG Khalid Sohail the media that it was “not a suicide attack“.

“There was no attack or firing on the police station. The explosion occurred at a place where ammunition and mortar shells were stored,” he said.

He said the cause of the explosion was being investigated. Bomb disposal squads were also conducting an investigation, he added.

The CTD DIG earlier said two explosions had occurred and the building that collapsed was an old one while most offices and personnel were located in a new building. The building’s collapse caused a power outage, the extent of which was yet to be determined, he added.

Earlier, District Police Officer Shafi Ullah Gandapur (DPO) said a “suicide attack” had taken place.

As a result, government officials condemned the explosion and promised to battle terrorism.

Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan, condemned the Swat incident and expressed sorrow over the loss of innocent lives. He prayed for the injured’s quick recovery and directed the authorities to file a report on the occurrence.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah condemned the incident and expressed sadness over the lives lost. “This scourge of terrorism will be uprooted soon,” he asserted.

KP Caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan denounced the explosion and ordered that the injured be treated as soon as possible. He told the heirs of those martyred that the provincial government would not leave them.

The Swat tragedy was also criticized by Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, and Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori.