A deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and a constable were martyred on Friday night when unknown attackers opened fire on their vehicle in Lakki Marwat, KPK. According to media reports, DSP Gul Muhammad and Constable Nadeem Gul had set up a temporary checkpoint at the Manjiwala Chowk near the Indus Highway when unknown assailants opened fire on their vehicle, killing both.
That same night, in a separate incident in the Sara Darga district of Lakki Marwat, Constable Sanamat Khan was martyred when unknown assailants opened fire at him near his house. He was stationed in Miranshah, North Waziristan and had returned home on leave.
KPK chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur has condemned the killings. Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif has also condemned the attacks. Gandapur, who is the chief executive of this violence-infested province, has made a very important point in his response to these incidents. According to him, “KPK police have made eternal sacrifices for the protection of law and order in the province.”
What the KPK CM has said about this province’s police is a fact. Since 2005, this province has been a particular or special target of terrorists of various hues, including Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). The terrorist incidents that took place in this province include the Peshawar army public school massacre in 2014. In my view, the police of this province have worked more diligently, efficiently, laboriously than the police force of any other province in the country.
These latest incidents add to the gravity of the security situation in KPK, which is now being ruled by Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI), in a meaningful manner. Unfortunately, however, the governments at the Centre and in the province are at daggers drawn.
In my view, both the governments need to fully appreciate the criticality of the security situation with a view to stepping up coordination and cooperation between them in order to deal with the challenge of terrorism on a strong footing. Needless to say, the security situation is indeed grim; and it brooks no complacency.
Shadab Khan, Islamabad
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024