- IGP other top officer confirm blasts occurred in ammunition store of police station
- Peshawar Corps Commander, top police brass attend funeral for martyred policemen
SWAT: The death toll from the CTD police station’s compound bomb blasts reached 17 and about 57 persons were injured in the twin blasts, including eight civilians.
Among the deceased are one children namely Azlan son of Meharan and a woman.
According to police, among the dead, ten are policemen, two are civilians, and five accused persons kept in custody for interrogation in the police station. About 57 persons were also injured in the blasts, including eight civilians.
The deceased policemen were identified as: Sher Alam, Taj Muhammad, Asmat Ali, Khalilur Rahman, Bakht Rokhan, Fazal Raziq; Nahid, Abdullah Khan, and Ashraf Ali.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan, Peshawar Corps Commander Lieutenant General Sardar Hassan Azhar Hayat and IG FC KP Major General Noor Wali Khan,Chief Secretary KP Nadeem Aslam Choudri and Advisor to Prime Minister Engineer Amir Muqam visited CTD Police station on Tuesday.
All top officers also offered funeral prayers for the deceased policemen and laid wreaths on their coffins.
The IG KP Police, while giving a briefing to media representatives, said that the number of martyrs in the incident reached 17. “Among the deceased are five accused who were in the custody of CTD police. According to the preliminary investigation, the incident was not due to terrorism, but due to the explosion in the ammunition storage, mainly seized in various operations from time to time by police,” he said.
According to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Shafiqa Gul, the rescue operation is underway on the second day, in which about 100 rescue officials and heavy machinery are participating to remove rubble of the collapsed building. She said that about 13 dead bodies were shifted to their hometowns.
Protests in Kabala and Mingora
Meanwhile, massive protests took place in Mingora and Kabal on Tuesday against the bomb blasts in CTD police station.
Though the KP police termed the blasts occurred at a weapon storage facility inside an old office of the Counter Terrorism Department on the premises of the police station, people of Swat raised questions on police claims and stated it was an incident of terrorism.
Soon after the blasts, people from all walks of life in Swat condemned the attack, announcing protests in Kabal and Mingora bazaar. The protest at Kabal Bazaar was organized by Swat Olasi Pasoon, while Swat Quami Jirga organized the protest at Nishat Chowk in Mingora. PkMAP’s Khurshid Kaka Ji, Mukhtiyar Yousafzai, Dr Khalid, Abdul Jabbar Khan, Ayoub Asharey, Hameedul Haq, Irfan Chattan and others addressed the gatherings.
The protests were attended by a large number of people from across the Swat condemning the attacks. They demanded durable peace in Swat and other Pashtun belts and said that the people of Malakand division would no more be deceived under terrorism dramas.
The speakers said that if it by any chance it was believed that it was an accidental blast at the weapon storage facility, then it seemed an unprecedented irresponsible act.
They said that Pashtun would no more tolerate terrorism on their land as they believed that terrorism in the country was always carried out for dollars.
They said that if terrorists were tried to bring back to Malakand division, the people of Swat would take action against them as they lost trust in the security forces.
They demanded that an independent and transparent inquiry must be made to investigate the reality of the blasts that occurred in Kabal Police Lines and bring the facts in front of people.
‘Short circuit likely behind twin blasts near Swat’
The initial investigation into the twin blasts that occurred inside the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police station in Swat suggested on Tuesday that a short circuit in the ammunition depot caused the explosions.
At least more 17 people died and around 50 people got injured in the blasts inside the CTD police station on Monday. which resulted in the deaths of at least 16 people and left many others on Monday night.
The report states that the fire originated in the armory, where the weapons were stored, and it is highly likely that the short circuit caused the explosions.
However, the CTD police station has been a target of militant groups in the past, with numerous attacks reported. Swat district recently experienced an increase in militant activity, leading to heightened security measures in the area.
The motive behind this attack on the CTD police station is still unclear.
District Police Officer Shafi Ullah Gandapur said that the blasts caused significant damage to the building, and the Counter Terrorism Department DIG Khalid Sohail mentioned that the building’s collapse caused a power outage of unknown extent.
This latest attack on law enforcement agencies by militants in the region prompted a swift response from security forces and police, who cordoned off the area and launched a full-scale investigation. Witnesses reported hearing a loud explosion that shattered windows and damaged nearby buildings.
Interior Minister, Rana Sanaullah, expressed his deep sadness over the loss of life caused by the blasts and condemned the attack, requesting a detailed report from authorities. The KP Interim CM, Azam Khan, also condemned the attack and ensured that the injured receive the necessary medical care.
Funeral of nine policemen offered at police lines
Earlier in the day, collective funeral of the nine martyred policemen were offered at Swat Police Lines.
Besides others, Corps Commander Peshawar, IG Khyber Pakthunkhwa Police Akhtar Hayat Gandapur, DIG Counter-Terrorism Department Tauseef Khalid, the Swat District Police Officer, senior civil and military officers, and relatives of the victims attended. Later, their bodies were shifted to their native villages and towns for last rituals where they were laid to rest in full police honour.
As a result of huge fire and blasts, the police station was razed to ground besides caused damages to the nearby buildings where rescue operations started. The people started coming to the residences of the victims and were offering fateha for eternal peace of the deceased. Grief and sorrow prevailed in the natives areas of the deceased.
KP CM orders inquiry of Kabal blast
Caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Azam Khan has ordered an inquiry into the incident of blast at CTD Police Station Kabal Swat to ascertain the actual causes of the incident.
A two member inquiry committee comprising Home Secretary and Additional Inspector General, Special Branch has been constituted to this effect.
In a statement issued here on Tuesday in this regard, the Chief Minister has said that inquiry into the incident is underway, adding that though apparently it seems to be caused by any mishap, but nothing could be said with certainty whether it was caused by any mishap or it was a terrorist activity.
