PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed has said that the vehicle used in the recent terrorist attack on the Police Training Centre in Dera Ismail Khan has been traced.
At the same time, two attackers — one an Afghan national and the other a resident — have been identified. Facilitators of the attackers would soon be tracked down. He praised the courage of police personnel who rescued over 200 trainee recruits during the assault, adding that the timely response prevented a major tragedy.
The IGP said the attackers had used a stolen PTCL mini-truck (Revo) laden with explosives. “Thanks to the recent strengthening of the training centre’s infrastructure, the damage was minimised,” he told The News. “The security staff displayed remarkable bravery by stopping the terrorists right at the gate.”
Hameed revealed that a few trainees overpowered a terrorist and killed him with knives, despite the attacker being armed and carrying explosives. He said facilitators of the attackers would soon be tracked down.
He emphasised that without modern weapons, equipment, bulletproof vehicles, and a robust infrastructure, it is impossible to counter the Khawarij (terrorists). “If the school’s walls had not been reinforced, the casualties would have been much higher,” he said. The IG stated that previously, there was only one bulletproof vehicle in the entire province. “Now, all Additional IGs and RPOs have been provided with bulletproof vehicles, while more than half of the DPOs have also received them,” he added.
He stated that the federal government has allocated Rs7 billion to enhance police infrastructure in the merged districts, while the provincial government has committed another Rs7 billion for modernisation. “With Rs40 billion, we can upgrade the infrastructure of all police stations, check-posts, and installations across the province and make all vehicles bulletproof,” he said.
Hameed added that outdated weapons, pending procurement since 2011, have now been replaced with modern arms. “Securing police vehicles is essential to protect our personnel; otherwise, the sacrifices and martyrdoms will continue,” he warned.
He said the police are now being equipped with sniper and thermal guns to effectively respond to future attacks. Concluding, the IGP noted that the roots of terrorism remain linked to Afghanistan but asserted that despite limited resources, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police continue to stand on the front line against terror and have rendered immense sacrifices for peace.