Five government officials were martyred, and two police personnel were injured in two separate incidents of terrorism in Dera Ismail Khan district, according to the information provided by authorities.
The first incident took place on the bypass within the jurisdiction of Saddar Police Station, where an unidentified group of armed attackers opened fire on a Highway Police mobile van.
The attack martyred the driver of the mobile van. The van in-charge, Subhan, and another police officer sustained injuries in the firing.
The second incident occurred near Abhaya Wala Bridge within the jurisdiction of University Police Station, where Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials were present at a petrol station.
Unidentified armed assailants opened fire at the Bhatti petrol pump, martyring four FBR officials.
Following both incidents, police and other law enforcement agencies cordoned off the areas and launched efforts to collect evidence and trace the attackers.
Further investigations into the two incidents are underway.
Citizens in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have expressed strong dissatisfaction with the performance of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, particularly over the deteriorating law and order situation and continued incidents of terrorism in the province.
Residents have called for the removal of Chief Minister (CM) Sohail Afridi, saying that a change in the provincial government’s approach is necessary to improve security and tackle terrorism effectively.
Criticising the PTI government and the chief minister, citizens said they had yet to see substantial practical work in the province, while political slogans and calls to travel to Adiala and D-Chowk continued to dominate political discourse.
The citizens said KP needed more than a change of faces, calling for fundamental changes in policies and the administrative system to address the province’s security challenges.
Some citizens also demanded that the courts consider banning PTI and imposing restrictions on its leaders, while calling for a government capable of adopting an effective strategy against terrorism.
They further stressed that the police’s operational powers and administrative structure should be protected from political interference so that law-enforcement agencies can perform their duties effectively.
The citizens said improving law and order and eliminating terrorism should be treated as the government’s priority, rather than allowing political confrontation to overshadow the province’s security and governance challenges.