No casualties in IED blast near police car in Peshawar

A remote control explosion took place in close proximity to a police vehicle within the limits of Badaber Police Station in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said on Sunday.

According to the police, no casualties were reported in the incident. In charge of the Sheikhan outpost was on patrol when an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near his car in the area, the police said.

The explosives were placed inside a paint can and the blast was carried out by a remote control device, the police said.

After the incident, a bomb disposal squad was called to check the premises for any other explosives and the security officials collected evidence from the crime scene.

The bomb disposal unit said that about one kilogram of explosive material was used in the blast which damaged the vehicle.

Law and order situation

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's law and order situation has deteriorated in the last couple of months, as an increase in threats and attacks on security forces as well as high-profile political personalities were noticed.

The police were on high alert across the province after the recent spike in attacks in areas including Peshawar, southern districts, and the Mardan region, The News reported.

A source told: “Apart from the police, senior politicians have complained of receiving threats. The houses of some of them have also come under grenade attack.”

Provincial spokesperson of the Awami National Party (ANP) Samar Bilour said on December 11, that their provincial president Aimal Wali Khan had received a call about a plan of attack on his life.

Samar said that it was the state's responsibility to protect its leadership, adding that they will be left with no other option but to take the protection of their leaders into their own hands if the state does not act.

Attacks on politicians

Politicians affiliated with other political parties have either come under attack or received threats in the recent wave of violence.

An official told, “on the night between Saturday and Sunday, a grenade was hurled at the house of former provincial minister Haji Muhammad Javed in Gulbahar Peshawar that did not cause any casualty or damage.”

A hand grenade was thrown at former federal minister Shehryar Afridi's house in Kohat, while PTI MPA Aghaz Khan Gandapur's residence was attacked by armed men in Dera Ismail Khan, leaving one policeman dead, some time back.

PTI MPA Malik Liaqat was also wounded in an attack on his vehicle in Lower Dir in August, while four others, including his brother and nephew, lost their lives in the attack.

Businessmen and political workers have been receiving extortion calls in the past few months. The majority of these incidents were not even reported to the police.

Terror incidents

The wave of terrorist attacks has risen across the province in the last few months, the report said. At least 118 terrorist incidents were reported in KP from mid-August till the last week of November, according to official numbers.

At least 26 policemen, 12 personnel of other law enforcement agencies and 17 civilians were killed in terror incidents across the KP. Moreover, 18 policemen, 10 civilians, and 37 law enforcement agency personnel suffered injuries in these attacks.

A dozen districts, including Peshawar, Mardan, Bajaur, Mohmand, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank, Kohat, Bannu, and Nowshera came under attack in November.

Meanwhile, KP Police claims that they have accelerated operations against the terrorists saying at least 539 alleged terrorists and proclaimed offenders were arrested in the province during the first 10 months of 2022. They added 141 were also killed including 42 of those who carried head money.