Acts of Terrorism in Pakistan

[Shardul.....the lion]

Five injured after two bombs go off at Ajmal Khattak’s under-construction mausoleum

NOWSHERA: Two successive blasts at the under construction mausoleum of former Awami National Party chief Ajmal Khattak on Grand Trunk Road, Akora Khattak, in Nowshera left five people injured, officials said on Wednesday evening.

According to details, Nowshera police were trying to clear people gathered at the site of a bomb explosion at the under construction mausoleum of Ajmal Khattak. As the people, and journalists were being asked to leave, another improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in the same graveyard. Five people including three journalists were injured.

“Chaos broke after the second explosion took place,” Siddique, an eyewitness told The Express Tribune. “Neither the police nor journalists went close to the area after the explosion.”

An official of the bomb disposal unit said that around four kilograms of explosives were used to carry out the first attack while approximately a two kilogram IED caused the second explosion.

Nowshera police said that investigations were still underway into the incident.

Condemnations from various factions and sectors poured in.

The injured were rushed to District Headquarters Nowshera hospital.

Earlier, a bomb went off at the under-construction mausoleum of famous Pushto poet and a former Member National Assembly, late Ajmal Khattak on Grand Trunk (GT) road, Akora Khattak area of Nowshera, badly damaging the structure.

No loss of life was reported in the incident, and no group has claimed responsibility for the attack thus far.

Police have arrested the guard of the building and are currently interrogating him.

Police said that initially five armed people approached the under construction building of the mausoleum and over-powered the guard. He was tied with a rope before the armed men placed explosive devices inside the building which went off with a big bang. Up to 80 per cent of the mausoleum was damaged.

“They were five people who came to the area and planted bombs there and fled the area after the explosion,” said a police official of the local police station while talking to The Express Tribune.

The provincial government had provided a Rs10 million grant for the construction of building at the grave of late Ajmal Khattak. The grave is situated along the main Grand Trunk (GT) road in a graveyard.

They said that the move was aimed at creating unrest among the local people.

Ajmal Khattak was the former president of Awami National Party (ANP) and a former MNA. He died of illness on February 7, 2010 in Peshawar.

Last month, an anonymous threatening letter was found at the shrine of Sakhi Sarwar in Dera Ghazi Khan which warned of ‘dire consequences’ if some rituals were not abolished. Security was beefed up after the letter was received.

Similarly, a letter was received last year followed by two terrorist attacks at the shrine that killed more than 55 people and injured over 150. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan had claimed responsibility for the attacks.


Five injured after two bombs go off at Ajmal Khattak

 

[Mujraparty]

Policeman killed, 3 injured in Quetta remote-control blast


One policeman was killed and three others received injuries when a remote-controlled blast hit a police mobile in Langoabad area at Saryab Road here in Quetta on Thursday.
According to police sources, four policemen were on a patrol duty when a blast hit their vehicle. The blast critically wounded the policemen, and one of them later died in the hospital during treatment, police sources added.
Police and security forces rushed to the area, cordoning off the site to collect evidence. Sources said the blast was caused by a remote-controlled device planted by the terrorists at roadside for targeting vehicles of police and security forces.

Policeman killed, 3 injured in Quetta remote-control blast | The Nation

Roadside blast destroy security forces vehicle in Badaber

A roadside blast destroyed a vehicle of security forces on Thursday but no causality or injuries were reported.
According to details, a bomb planted by roadside in Bazid Khel area of Badaber exploded when a security forces vehicle reached near the scene.
The vehicle was partially damaged but no human loss or injury occurred due to explosion. Security forces cordoned off the area after the blast and collected the evidences.
SP Shafiullah said that it was a planted bomb aimed at targeting the security forces but they remained safe.

Roadside blast destroy security forces vehicle in Badaber | The Nation

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[Shardul.....the lion]

Militant killed planting explosives in Charsadda

SHABQADAR: An alleged militant was killed while planting a bomb near the building of an under construction school in Palawan Qilla area of Charsadda District, bordering the tribal belt of Mohmand on Thursday, officials said.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Zahir Shah Khan said that around 9:00 pm, a powerful explosion was heard near Hira Public School.“A mutilated body was found along the school wall,” he said, “ we believe that the body is of a suspected militant involved in planting explosives to destroy schools,” claimed Shah.

The mangled body is yet to be identified. “So far the body has not been identified as it has been mutilated beyond recognition,” Shah added.

Regarding the investigation into the incident he said that due to a storm in the area, the investigation process was being hindered.

Officials believed that it was a locally made bomb that went off prematurely.

The bomb disposal squad had not reached the scene an hour and a half after the incident took place.

Around seventeen schools have been destroyed in Charsadda district with 12 of them being in Shabqadar. Around 96 educational facilities have been destroyed in the neighboring Mohmand Agency.

On Wednesday, two improvised explosive devices (IED) injured as many as five people, including three journalists, after militants targeted the mausoleum of Ajmal Khattak in Nowshera.


Militant killed planting explosives in Charsadda – The Express Tribune

 

[Shardul.....the lion]

Fleeing Bara: Four children die in Khyber Agency mortar attack

BARA: Four children were killed while a woman sustained injuries when a mortar shell hit their vehicle on Friday in the Qamarabad area of Bara tehsil in Khyber Agency, Express News reported.
The children and woman, who belonged to the same family, were among the 1,500 families that are migrating from Bara tehsil after a deadline was given by the political administration and Frontier Corps to vacate the area before launching a military operation.
The residents were told to move to Peshawar and the Jalozai Camp.
The Shalobar tribe was given 48 hours to leave the area where a military operation against militants has been launched.
UNHCR provincial spokesperson Taimur Khan had said that 0.23 million people have been shifted to the Jalozai camp. Narrating their ordeals, the displaced people had said that they had faced immense difficulties in shifting to the camp

Fleeing Bara: Four children die in Khyber Agency mortar attack – The Express Tribune

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Bomb planted in manhole misses police target in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: An improvised explosive device (IED) planted inside a manhole, which had intended to target Deputy Superintendent of Police Faqeerabad, Banaras Khan, went off on GT Road in Peshawar on Friday, causing no casualties or injuries, Express News reported.
The explosion, however, shattered windows of cars and a nearby Edhi Centre on GT Road.
DSP Khan said, “I was going from Ring Road as per routine when the bomb went off in a manhole near my car.”
According to sources, operations against insurgents are underway in the Khyber Agency which could be the possible reason for this attack.
Police cordoned off the area to search for evidence, including ball bearings from the blast site, whereas the damaged vehicles were moved from the area.

Bomb planted in manhole misses police target in Peshawar – The Express Tribune

 

[Shardul.....the lion]

Police officer gunned down in Quetta

QUETTA: A police officer was shot dead outside his residence in Killi Kamalo, Quetta by unknown assailants on Friday.
According to a local police officer, police sub-inspector Sayed Jamal Shah was targeted by assailants riding a motorbike. He received multiple bullets and died on the spot.
A heavy contingent of police reached the spot and cordoned off the area. The police officer’s body was taken to the Bolan Medical College (BMC) Teaching Hospital for autopsy.
“It is a targeted attack. Jamal Shah is the same officer who earlier escaped a remote controlled explosion on Qambarani road on Thursday that killed one policeman and injured three others,” a senior police officer said.
Earlier this week, senior police officer Shahnawaz Khan was gunned down near his residence.
No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Police officer gunned down in Quetta – The Express Tribune

 

[Shardul.....the lion]

Targeted: 1 killed, 17 injured in bomb attack on police

PESHAWAR: One policeman was killed while 17 others, including six policemen and one woman were injured in a road side bomb explosion that was targeting three police vehicles, whereas a number of vehicles, including the police van carrying three prisoners, were severely damaged on GT Road near Gulbahar police station on Saturday.
The deceased policeman, Shah Hussain succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
Police said that the three police vehicles that were going to Mardan to shift three prisoners were the target but since it was rush hour and the GT Road was crowded with traffic, the damage was widespread.
An official of the Gulbahar police station told The Express Tribune that around 9 o’clock, three police mobiles came under a bomb attack near their police station on main GT Road in which six police men had been injured and one of them was serious who was initially considered dead because he was unconscious.
He said that the explosion took place in the middle of the road as the bomb had been planted there and no one suspected any foul play because of the under construction flyover.
“Three cars and at least three auto rickshaws have been damaged along with a good number of civilians,” he added, saying that all the three prisoners had escaped unhurt in the attack and they had been shifted to the nearby police station.
“All other injured are stable at the time being and are being treated in various wards,” a spokesman of the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) told The Express Tribune.
Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) inspected the site but said that they were unclear as to what type and of what intensity the bomb used in the attack had been as there was no crater on the ground which was highly unusual.
“It is highly unusual that the explosion while caused considerable damage to men and material created no crater,” said a BDS official on the condition of anonymity, adding that they were still investigating the matter.

Targeted: 1 killed, 17 injured in bomb attack on police – The Express Tribune

 

[Mujraparty]

7 injured in Peshawar blast

At least seven people were injured when a remote-controlled bomb hit a police checkpost
on Ring Road near Mal Mandi
in Peshawar on Sunday morning, said police. The attack apparently targeted a police check post. The law enforcement agencies have cordoned off the area and the injured have been shifted to Lady Reading Hospital for treatment. Three of the injured people were in critical condition, said hospital sources.

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-n...ional/13-May-2012/7-injured-in-peshawar-blast

 

[Shardul.....the lion]

‘Police informer’s’ house blown up

PESHAWAR:
Militants blew up the house of a police informer in the Matani area, injuring one girl severely in the attack. Locals told that around 10pm militants blew up the house of Kamil Shah Afridi who is said to be an informer of the police.

“The bomb had been planted near the house which went off with a loud explosion,” they said, adding that the house was completely demolished from one side in which a teenage girl was injured who had been shifted to a hospital.

Police reached the spot and searched the area but there was no sign of the attackers who had managed to escape.

‘Police informer’s’ house blown up – The Express Tribune

 

[niaz]

It cannot be denied that a pro-Taliban and anti US bias is now a part of the national psyche. We condemn one act of terrorism but close our eyes on even more barbaric acts if perpetrated in the name of Islam. Even judiciary at the highest level is guilty of this double standard.

Murder of Salman Taseer was a prime example, he never committed blasphemy but only spoke out against what he thought was an unjust law; his killer was made hero by a very biased media, lawyers and politicians. Now his son has also been kidnapped but do we hear any voices against this heinous act of terrorism? On the other hand, Dr Afia Siddiqui married to a well-known terrorist family and currently serving a prison sentence has a huge number of supporters. Isn’t this a double standard by Pakistanis or what?

Have we lost the difference between ‘Right and Wrong’ or forgotten the fact that two wrong don’t make a right? Have we no love for Pakistanis killed by the TTP or target killed by the Takfiris and all our sympathies lie only with the Tribals killed in drone attacks? Even though most of those killed don’t accept Pakistan’s writ?

Of course I am a liberal fascist and in the awe of the US but in my opinion, our society as a whole is being brain washed into a zombie state of mind where we accept practices forbidden in Islam such as ‘Suicide’ as Islamic but are willing to eliminate any one who dares to offer a more moderate interpretation of Islam (Dr Ghamdi for example). If this trend continues we are heading for another Afghanistan under TTP in Pakistan and eventually into oblivion.

You may not like Hussain Haqqani; he is after all a PPP supporter. Thus all weaknesses of character and bias associated with PPP supporter are no doubt part of his make-up. Despite all of the above, here is an article written by him which in my opion carries a lot of truth. I for one also believe that Judiciary under CJ Iftikhar Chaudhry carries a strong pro Nawaz Sharif and pro-Taliban bias.



How Pakistan lets terrorism fester,why Pakistani courts are biased

Husain Haqqani

Monday, May 14, 2012

NEW YORK: On the anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death last week, Pakistan was the only Muslim country in which hundreds of demonstrators gathered to show solidarity with the dead terrorist figurehead.

Yet rather than asking tough questions about how Bin Laden had managed to live unmolested in Pakistan for years, the Pakistani Supreme Court instead chose to punish the prime minister, Yusuf Raza Gilani, by charging him with contempt for failing to carry out the court’s own partisan agenda - in this case, pressuring the Swiss government to reopen a decades-old corruption investigation of President Asif Ali Zardari. (Never mind that Swiss officials say they are unlikely to revisit the charges.)

In handing down the decision, one justice chose to paraphrase the Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran.

He held forth in a long appeal to religious-nationalist sentiment that began with the line, “Pity the nation that achieves nationhood in the name of a religion but pays little heed to truth, righteousness and accountability, which are the essence of every religion.”

That a Supreme Court justice would cite poetry instead of law while sentencing an elected leader on questionable charges reflects Pakistan’s deep state of denial about its true national priorities at a time when the country is threatened by religious extremism and terrorism.

Today, Pakistan is polarised between those who envision a modern, pluralist country and those who condone violence against minorities and terrorism in the name of Islam. Many are caught in the middle; they support the pluralist vision but dislike the politicians espousing it.

Meanwhile, an elephant in the room remains. We still do not know who enabled Bin Laden to live freely in Pakistan. Documents found on computers in his compound offer no direct evidence of support from Pakistan’s government, army or intelligence services. But even if Bin Laden relied on a private support network, our courts should be focused on identifying, arresting and prosecuting the individuals who helped him. Unfortunately, their priorities seem to lie elsewhere.

In Pakistan, most of the debate about Bin Laden has centred on how and why America violated Pakistan’s sovereignty by unilaterally carrying out an operation to kill him. There has been little discussion about whether the presence of the world’s most-wanted terrorist in a garrison town filled with army officers was itself a threat to the sovereignty and security of Pakistan.

Pakistanis are right to see themselves as victims of terrorism and to be offended by American unilateralism in dealing with it. Last year alone, 4,447 people were killed in 476 major terrorist attacks. Over the last decade, thousands of soldiers and law enforcement officers have died fighting terrorists - both home-grown, and those inspired by al-Qaeda’s nihilist ideology.

But if anything, the reaction should be to gear up and fight jihadist ideology and those who perpetrate terrorist acts in its name; they remain the gravest threat to Pakistan’s stability. Instead, our national discourse has been hijacked by those seeking to deflect attention from militant Islamic extremism.

The national mindset that condones this sort of extremism was cultivated and encouraged under the military dictatorships of Gen Mohammad Ziaul Haq from 1977 to 1988 and Gen Pervez Musharraf from 1999 to 2008. A whole generation of Pakistanis has grown up with textbooks that conflate Pakistani nationalism with Islamist exclusivism.

Anti-Western sentiment and a sense of collective victimhood were cultivated as a substitute for serious debate on social or economic policy. Militant groups were given free rein, originally with American support, to resist the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, and later became an instrument of Pakistani regional influence there and in Indian-occupied Kashmir.

Pakistan’s return to democracy, after the elections of 2008, offered hope. But the elected government has since been hobbled by domestic political infighting and judicial activism on every issue except extremism and terrorism.

Before Musharraf was ousted, a populist lawyers’ movement successfully challenged his firing of Supreme Court justices. The lawyers’ willingness to confront Mr Musharraf in his last days raised hopes of a new era. But over the last four years, the court has spent most of its energy trying to dislodge the government by insisting on reopening cases of alleged corruption from the 1990s. During the same period, no significant terrorist leader has been convicted, and many have been set free by judges who overtly sympathise with their ideology.

This has happened because the lawyers’ movement split into two factions after Mr Musharraf’s fall: those emphasizing the rule of law and those seeking to use the judiciary as a rival to elected leaders.

Asma Jahangir, who helped lead the lawyers’ movement, has become a critic of the courts, accusing them of overstepping their constitutional mandate and falling under the influence of the security establishment.

And Aitzaz Ahsan, who represented the Supreme Court’s chief justice during the lawyers’ showdown with Mr Musharraf, is now Prime Minister Gilani’s lawyer in the contempt-of-court case -a clear indication of the political realignment that has taken place.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s raucous media, whose hard-won freedom is crucial for the success of democracy, has done little to help generate support for eliminating extremism and fighting terrorism.

The Supreme Court, conservative opposition parties and the news media insist that confronting alleged incompetence and corruption in the current government is more important than turning Pakistan away from Islamist radicalism.

While fighting Pakistan’s endemic corruption is vital, the media and judiciary have helped redirect attention away from the threat of jihadist ideology by constantly targeting the governing party - a convenient situation for the intelligence services, which would prefer to keep the spotlight on the civilian government rather than on the militant groups they have historically supported.

Convicting the dozens of terrorists released by Pakistani courts should be a greater priority for the country’s judiciary than scoring points against the elected executive branch. And the Pakistani media should be more focused on asking why those deemed terrorists internationally are celebrated as heroes at home.

Until their priorities shift, the empty pronouncements of our leaders against terrorism and the sacrifices of our soldiers in battle with militants will not suffice to change the nation’s course.



This article appeared in the New York Times on May 11, 2012

How Pakistan lets terrorism fester,why Pakistani courts are biased - thenews.com.pk

 

[seekers]

pity over the nation who has 5 lakh pending cases( including mine) for ages in courts but their hero( not mine) is ch. ifthikar

 

[Dark Warrior]

Pakistani journalist killed by kidnappers

The bullet-riddled body of Pakistani journalist Tariq Kamal, a Karachi-based reporter for a local Sindhi newspaper, was found last Wednesday (9 May). His body showed signs of severe torture.

He had been kidnapped three days before along with his friend, Fawad Sheikh, who was also murdered.

Kamal was on a visit to a dangerous area of Balochistan to work on an exclusive report.

His family received a call from him in which he said he was about to be killed by his captors. The family were also informed by the kidnappers that the two men were being killed because they were police informants.

Pakistani journalist killed by kidnappers | Media | guardian.co.uk

 

[Safriz]

Powerful blast rips through Quetta, casualties feared: reports | DAWN.COM

QUETTA: At least two people were killed and eighteen were injured as a result of a blast near Almo Chowk in Quetta on Monday, Express News has reported.

Police said that Frontier Corps (FC) personnel could have been the targets and that it appeared as if a bomb had been planted on the roadside.

Two vehicles were also reported to have been destroyed as a result of the blast. The blast was strong enough to cause damage to nearby buildings.

The injured were shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

Earlier, a police official was killed and three others were injured when a patrolling police vehicle was attacked with a remote controlled bomb on Qambrani Road in Quetta.

Powerful blast rips through Quetta, casualties feared: reports | DAWN.COM

QUETTA: At least two people were killed and eighteen were injured as a result of a blast near Almo Chowk in Quetta on Monday, Express News has reported.

Police said that Frontier Corps (FC) personnel could have been the targets and that it appeared as if a bomb had been planted on the roadside.

Two vehicles were also reported to have been destroyed as a result of the blast. The blast was strong enough to cause damage to nearby buildings.

The injured were shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

Earlier, a police official was killed and three others were injured when a patrolling police vehicle was attacked with a remote controlled bomb on Qambrani Road in Quetta.

 

[Shardul.....the lion]

Militants kill tribal militia leader, injure 10 in Mohmand Agency

GHALANAI: A senior member of a tribal militia was killed and ten others were injured when militants attacked the post of the Khwaizai Peace Committee and set their post alight after an exchange of fire, in the Bayzai sub-division of Mohmand Agency on the Pak-Afghan border, said officials.
A senior official of the political administration told The Express Tribune that the attack took place late Sunday night when a group of militants attacked the Khro Shah Kandao post, located at a hill-top, near main Atta Bazaar of Khawaizai.
“Samar Gul, an important leader of the peace committee, was killed while ten others were wounded,” he said. “They also burnt the newly established post and fled the scene.”
The Khawaizai Peace Committee, a tribal militia raised by the government, is one of the strongest and largest of many tribal militias in the tribal belt of Mohmand Agency.
It has assisted the security forces and the political administration to maintain law and order, often on the frontline. The peace committees are targeted by militants who use highly sophisticated weapons and are trained in guerrilla warfare.
A resident of the area told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity, because of the security situation in the war-hit area, that the border post was constructed last month after Atta Bazaar came under attack by the militants who had destroyed a school, a telephone exchange and other government installations there.
“Samar Gul was a key commander of the committee, who was second on the target list of the militants after the leader of the tribal militia, Fayaz Khan,” he added.
The injured were shifted to Agency Headquarter Hospital in Ghalanai.
Medical Superintendent at the hospital, Jehangir, told The Express Tribune that the injured were brought to the hospital for treatment late last night.
He identified two injured as Azmat and Akhtar and said that they were in a serious condition, while others who sustained injuries were out danger.
Jehangir added that they were shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.

Militants kill tribal militia leader, injure 10 in Mohmand Agency – The Express Tribune

================================

Two FC personnel, woman killed in Quetta blast

QUETTA: Two personnel of Frontier Corps (FC) and a passer-by woman were killed while 35 others, including four women, three children and 10 security personnel, sustained injuries in a remote-controlled explosion at Almo Chowk on Airport Road in Quetta on Monday.
According to the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), around 40kg explosives were used in the blast that completely destroyed eight vehicles, while 10 vehicles were partially damaged. At least 18 nearby shops and two banks were also damaged.
“A car laden with explosives was parked besides the Airport Road at Almo Chowk. The explosives were detonated by a remote control when two vehicles of FC passed by the area,” Superintendent of Police Airport Road Circle told The Express Tribune.
He also confirmed the casualties and damages. “The target was security forces and passers-by. Five women and three children sustained multiple splinter wounds.”
The windowpanes of scores of houses, offices, commercial establishments and vehicle showrooms were smashed due to the impact of the blast. Explosion was heard five to six kilometers from the crime scene.
At least eight vehicles caught fire and people onboard received splinter wounds. Two vehicles of Frontier Corps were also damaged.
A heavy contingent of security forces, police and rescue workers reached the spot soon after the blast and cordoned off the area. The dead bodies and injured were taken to hospitals. A state of emergency was declared at Provincial Sundeman Hospital where civilians were brought for treatment while injured security men were shifted to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) and FC headquarter hospital.
According to eyewitness accounts, a suspected car, parked on a footpath, was used for this attack. “I was in my pickup and behind the security forces’ vehicles. As they reached near the Almo Chowk, a powerful blast occurred,” one of the injured said.
Spokesperson of FC confirmed that two security men were killed and ten wounded in the blast. The deceased security men were identified as Waseem Abbas and Aziz.
The dead body of one FC official and 32 injured were brought to Provincial Sandeman Hospital for treatment.
“Five women and three children were among the injured. Two women are in a critical situation and had been referred to CMH,” doctors said. One of the injured woman succumbed to her injuries on her way to the hospital.

Two FC personnel, woman killed in Quetta blast – The Express Tribune

 

[Shardul.....the lion]

Journalist killed, body dumped in Turbat

QUETTA:
The continuing kill-and-dump operations, rampant in Balochistan, have taken the life of another journalist.
The bullet-riddled body of Express News correspondent Razzaq Gul was found dumped in a deserted area near Turbat town in Kech district on Saturday morning.
According to journalist bodies based in Balochistan, this is the 17th journalist to have been killed in the province over the last three years.
Relatives of Gul said that he had been kidnapped near his house on Friday evening and had been missing since then. Gul’s body was found near Singani Sar close to the Old Civil Hospital in Turbat. Law enforcement agencies shifted the body to a hospital for an autopsy, where his brother identified him.
“The victim was shot in the head and chest, and his body bore marks of torture,” hospital sources said. The sources added that Gul was shot 15 times.
According to journalists of the Turbat Press Club, Gul had not mentioned that he was receiving death threats. However, citing security concerns, most journalists refused to comment on the killing.
Balochistan’s Acting Inspector General of Police Hussain Karar Khwaja has ordered an inquiry into the murder.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) announced a three-day mourning period.
Journalist killed, body dumped in Turbat – The Express Tribune
===============================================

Under fire: Two police officials slain in ambush

QUETTA:
Armed assailants ambushed a police vehicle on Thursday, killing two policemen and wounding two others near the Eastern Bypass.
A police vehicle was returning from Kirani Road after escorting some people of the Hazara community from Hazar Ganji when assailants opened fire on the vehicle, killing two police constables and injuring two others, according to a police official.
One of the survivors said the police vehicle had stopped at the kerb side when it suddenly came under a hail of bullets.
“Just as the police vehicle reached near Eastern Bypass and stopped by the side of the road, some assailants opened fire at it,” said a policeman who escaped unhurt in the attack. “The assailants were onboard a vehicle and sped away after opening indiscriminate fire,” he said.
Police and security forces reached the spot and cordoned off the area after the attack.
The deceased and the injured were shifted to Bolan Medical College Teaching Hospital. The slain police officers were identified as constables Murtaza and Sanaullah, while the injured as Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Muhammad Hussain and Constable Din Mohammad.
Police officials and their vehicles have been regularly targeted in the city since the beginning of this month. Senior police officers Shahnawaz Khan and Sub-inspector Sayed Jamal Shah were also killed in the targeted attack. “It is an incident of targeted killing and is linked with previous attacks on police officers,” a senior police officer said.

Under fire: Two police officials slain in ambush – The Express Tribune

 

[Shardul.....the lion]

Blast in travel agency rocks Peshawar

PESHAWAR: The office of a travel agency located in the Shoba Bazaar area of Peshawar was damaged in an explosion late on Monday night.

The blast took place inside the office of Link Travel Agency, within the remits of East Cantt police station.

Local residents, talking to The Express Tribune, said that the explosion took place at around 10 pm inside the agency’s office in Chinar Building. They added that the office was closed when the explosion took place.

An official of the East Cantt police station said that they have cordoned off the area and an investigation is currently underway. “The damage seems to be limited to the office so far and we have called the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) to check it,” he said, adding that it was premature to jump to any conclusions at this point.

Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 sources said that they rushed to the area after receiving information of a blast but the police had told them that there were no casualties in the explosion.

Blast in travel agency rocks Peshawar – The Express Tribune
==============================================

Chief warden among two killed in separate incidents in Quetta

QUETTA: The chief warden of the Quetta District Jail was shot dead by unknown people on Jail Road on Saturday. In a separate incident, a bullet-riddled body of a missing person was found dumped near a bus stop in the Khuzdar district.

According to police, Imtiaz Rasool, Chief Warden Quetta Jail, was attacked near the jail by two persons on a motorbike who opened fire at him. The attackers fled from the scene after committing the crime. The body was shifted to Provincial Sandeman Hospital for autopsy.

“It could be a case of targeted killing,” local police officer Mohammad Aslam said, adding that police are investigating the murder. Police have launched a manhunt in the area for the attackers.

Banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) has claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesperson, introducing himself as Abu Bakar Siddiq, calling from an undisclosed location said LeJ would continue to target officials and people involved in arresting and killing members of their outfit.

Meanwhile, a bullet-riddled body was found near a bus stop in Khuzdar district on Saturday.

According to the police, some passers-by spotted the body near the bus stop and informed the nearby police station. Police rushed to the pot and cordoned off the area, and the body was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital. The body was identified as Abdul Qudus, son of Abdul Wahab. He went missing on July 21, 2012 from the Arbab Complex area of Khuzdar.

“The body bore multiple bullet wounds,” hospital sources said.

A case has been registered against unknown people and an investigation is underway.

In a separate incident, a man was injured in a hand grenade attack in Pasni, a coastal town.

According to the police, unknown persons on motorbike hurled a hand grenade at a grocery shop on Pasni Road. As result of the explosion, a man identified as Ghulam Mustafa sustained shrapnel wounds and the shop was damaged. Police rushed to the spot and cordoned off the area. The injured was shifted to a nearby hospital.

Chief warden among two killed in separate incidents in Quetta – The Express Tribune

==================================

5 killed, 5 injured in clash between rival militants groups

PESHAWAR: At least five militants were killed and five others were injured when clashes erupted between Lashkar-e-Islam (LI) and Ansarul Islam (AI) in the Sanda Pal area of Tirah Valley, Khyber Agency.

According to locals, the firefight between the two groups began in the early hours of Monday when fighters of AI attacked Sanda Pal, a stronghold of LI militants.

They claimed that four militants of the Mangal Bagh-led LI had been killed and two were injured, while one fighter of AI was killed and three were injured.

Clashes between the two groups occur frequently as AI fights the LI to gain control of the area.

According to sources, heavy weapons were used in the fight and AI fighters took control of a number of small outposts to reach Sanda Pal – the main outpost.

Residents living in the secluded valley have little communication with the world.

The area has been under the influence of militants, including the LI, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Ansarul Islam, who have consistently targeted each other over territorial disputes and sectarian differences.

5 killed, 5 injured in clash between rival militants groups – The Express Tribune