PESHAWAR, AUG 2 (PTI): At least 14 people, including five security men, were killed and over a dozen injured in a suicide attack on a police station during a peace rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in northwest Pakistan on Sunday, officials said.
The explosion occurred when the Swat Peace Rally was in progress right across the police station in Kabal town in Swat district.
No group or individual has claimed immediately responsibility for the attack.
Nine bodies were shifted to Central Hospital Saidu Sharif, while doctors at Kabal Hospital confirmed five more fatalities, taking the total number of confirmed deaths to 14, a Rescue 1122 Swat spokesperson said.
The Swat Peace Rally was organised by Swat Aman Jirga (local tribal council) with participants raising slogans and carrying placards to demand peace in the area. They alleged that police inaction has resulted in deterioration in the security situation in the past few months.
According to the District Police Officer (DPO) Swat, the suspected suicide bomber attempted to enter the Kabal Police Station and Police Lines compound but was intercepted by police personnel at the main gate.
The attacker then detonated the explosive device, damaging the main gate and preventing entry into the heavily secured compound, the DPO said.
Regional Police Officer (RPO) Malakand Syed Fida Hassan Shah said the timely response by police averted a much larger tragedy, adding that casualties could have been far greater had the attacker managed to enter the Kabal Police Compound.
The Kabal Police Compound houses the police station, Police Lines, a facilitation centre and several other government offices.
On the directives of Director General Rescue 1122 Shah Fahad, rescue operations were being carried out under the supervision of District Emergency Officer, Swat, Shoaib Mansoor.
By 9 pm (local time), rescue teams had provided emergency medical assistance to more than 15 injured persons and shifted them to different hospitals for treatment.
According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Malakand, the deceased included five police personnel, including an officer, three civilians and one child.
Security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation while collecting forensic evidence to determine the nature and circumstances of the attack.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Suhail Afridi strongly condemned the blast in Kabal area of Swat district and asked the Inspector General of Police to file a report on the incident.
The chief minister expressed heartfelt condolences and sympathy with the families of the police personnel and civilians killed in the blast.
Province’s Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the incident. PTI AYZ NPK
NPK
