Police foil terrorist attack on Mianwali police station

Punjab Police on Tuesday night foiled a terrorist attack on Makerwal police station in the Isakkhel district of Mianwali, Aaj News reported.

As per the police, a group of 20 to 25 heavily armed insurgents attacked the police station but were forced to flee after an exchange of heavy gunfire.

The DPO Mianwali also arrived at the scene with additional force.

An emergency was declared at the district headquarters hospital.

Meanwhile, Inspector General Police (IGP) Punjab Dr Usman Anwar spoke to the SHO Makerwal police station on the phone and congratulated him for foiling the terrorist attack.

The attack comes a day after a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a crowded mosque next to the Police Lines in Peshawar, in a highly fortified security compound, killing a hundred people and injuring dozens of others.

The last major incident of such a nature took place in Peshawar last year when a suicide blast inside a Shia mosque in the Kocha-Risaldar area claimed 63 lives.

According to police sources, the suicide bomber stood in the first row in the mosque while Zuhr prayed around 1:40 pm on Monday. Imam (prayer leader) of the mosque was also martyred in the suicide blast.

Authorities said they do not know how the bomber managed to enter the area, which is protected by a series of checkpoints manned by police and military personnel.

Witnesses and officials said that at least 200 people were inside the mosque when the incident took place.

While talking to the media, Capital City Police Officer, Peshawar (CCPO) Ejaz Khan said, “We cannot say with surety but there is a smell of explosives inside the mosque.”