Miranshah Deputy Commissioner Noor Wali Khan’s destroyed car is seen in Bannu. The security agents carry the coffin of the martyred AC. Photos: Express
MIRANSHAH:
Noor Wali Khan, the deputy commissioner of Miranshah tehsil of North Waziristan, and three others, including two policemen, were martyred in a brazen attack in Bannu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on Tuesday.
According to officials, Noor Wali Khan was traveling with his security team from Miranshah to Bannu court of Peshawar High Court.
When their convoy reached near Mamash Khel village in Bannu around 10 am, the terrorists who were in ambush opened heavy fire on their vehicle.
As a result of the attack, Shah Wali Khan, Constable Syed Rehman, Constable Khairur Rehman and a bystander were martyred, while two other officers were injured.
The terrorists set fire to the vehicle before fleeing the scene.
Soon after the incident, a heavy contingent of police and security forces cordoned off the area and shifted the dead and injured to a nearby hospital.
Bannu Deputy Inspector General Sajjad Khan later confirmed that Shah Wali Khan and three others were martyred in the assault. “A joint operation of the police and security forces is underway and investigations are being carried out from all angles,” he said.
Later, the funeral prayers of the martyrs with full state honors were offered at Bannu Cantt.
Among those attending were KP Chief Secretary Shahab Ali Shah, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed, Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan, Bannu Commissioner Khalid Mahmood, COG 7th Division Major General Adil Iftikhar and Brigadier Umair Khan Niazi.
Bannu DPO Yasir Afridi, North Waziristan DPO Sajjad Hussain, Bannu Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Faheem Khan, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) SP Fazal Wahid and other civil and military officials also attended the ceremony.
The coffins of the martyrs were saluted and wreaths were laid.
The principal secretary and the IGP paid tributes to the martyrs, stating that they sacrificed their lives for the nation in the discharge of their official duties. They said that the cowardly attack of the terrorists cannot weaken the morale and the sacrifices of the martyrs will never be forgotten.
Later, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif issued separate statements, expressing deep sorrow and grief over the martyrdom of four people in Bannu.
The president strongly condemned the terrorist attack and said that the complete elimination of terrorists “operating in our beloved homeland with external support” could be achieved through national consensus.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the government will thwart the nefarious intentions of terrorists. “The government is determined to completely eradicate terrorism from the country,” he added.
Shah Wali Khan belonged to the Gwah Khwa area of South Waziristan (Lower). According to local sources, Shah, who hailed from the Tojay Khel and Zarmal Khel branches of the Wazir tribe, was known in his area as a highly educated and respectable person.
Tribal elders of South Waziristan (Lower) said that with the martyrdom of Shah, the region has been forever deprived of a noble son. The tribal elders added that the entire nation shares the pain of the grieving family over this tragedy.
Seven terrorists killed
Meanwhile, security forces on Monday killed seven terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in two separate encounters in North Waziristan district.
According to a statement issued by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the forces carried out an Intelligence Based Operation (IBO) in Mir Ali.
“During the operation, our own troops effectively engaged the Khawarij [TTP] place and after an intense exchange of fire, six khawarij were sent to hell,” he said.
Another intelligence-based operation was carried out in Spinwam. In the exchange of fire that followed, security forces effectively neutralized another kharji.
Arms and ammunition were also recovered from the terrorists, who continued to actively engage in numerous terrorist activities against security forces and law enforcement agencies. They also participated in targeted killings of innocent civilians.
“Sanitation operations are being carried out to eliminate any other Indian sponsored kharji found in the area as a relentless campaign against terrorism under the vision “Azm-e-Istehkam”, approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan.
“Pakistan will continue at full pace to eliminate the menace of foreign sponsored and supported terrorism from the country,” the ISPR added.
