One officer killed, three injured in blast while escorting foreign diplomats in Swat

SWAT: A policeman was martyred while three were injured on Sunday when their vehicle, part of a convoy escorting dignitaries from 12 countries, was caught in an explosion on Malam Jabba Road in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district, police said.

As per the details, Swat Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Muhammad Ali Khan has said that delegations from Indonesia, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Iran, Russia and Tajikistan were part of the convoy. .

“As a result of the blast, Constable Burhan was martyred, while three other police personnel, including Sub-Inspector Sir Zamin, Constable Amanullah, and Constable Habib Gul were injured,” Khan said.

He added that a heavy contingent of police has reached the spot and rescue operations are underway, adding that the affected area has been cordoned off, while police have launched a search operation to trace the suspects. is

According to the DIG, the explosion was caused by a remote controlled improvised explosive device (IED).

“All ambassadors survived the attack and were shifted to a safe place before leaving for Islamabad,” the DIG told Reuters.

The diplomats were visiting the area at the invitation of the local chamber of commerce.

‘KP governor condemns the attack’

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the attack on the convoy and expressed grief and sorrow over the failure of the PTI-led provincial government to control terrorism.

He said that the provincial government is not sincere in establishing peace and their behaviour is encouraging terrorists. The attack on the police in Swat is a conspiracy of forces hostile to Islam and Pakistan.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

‘The vehicle hit a landmine’

Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in Islamabad went to Platform X to announce that the vehicle leading the convoy of diplomats had “hit a mine” in Mingora.

“On September 22, Ambassador Albert Khorev, along with several other ambassadors, participated in the Swat Tourism Summit organized by the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry,” the embassy said.

“On the way to a hotel from Mingora, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an escort vehicle hit a landmine. Several policemen were injured, diplomats were unharmed.

‘We respect our law enforcement agencies’

The Foreign Office (FO) issued a statement confirming that the diplomats had reached Islamabad safely while condemning the IED attack.

It said the convoy was on its way to Islamabad after traveling to Malam Jabba when “an advance scout police vehicle was hit by an IED resulting in casualties among a police detail”.

A statement from the Foreign Office said that the group of diplomats had returned to Islamabad safely. “Our sympathies go out to the families of the martyred (martyred) policeman and the three injured in this incident.

“We respect our law enforcement officials who stand firm against terrorists,” the statement said. Such actions will not deter Pakistan from its determination to fight terrorism.