DSP, cop martyred in Lakki Marwat attack

LAKKI MARWAT: A deputy superintendent of police (DSP) and a constable embraced martyrdom and another cop sustained injuries when terrorists opened fire on them near Manjiwala Chowk in the wee hours of Saturday, police officials said.

Officials said that a vehicle carrying DSP Gul Muhammad and guards was attacked while they were returning after visiting a checkpoint. As a result of the attack, DSP Gul Muhammad and Constable Naseem Gul were martyred on the spot.

“Another constable identified as Farooq Khan was wounded in the attack and shifted to a hospital in Serai Naurang town. Later, he was referred to a hospital in Peshawar,” a police official added.

The bodies were taken to the Iqbal Shaheed Police Lines in Bannu where funeral prayers for the martyred policemen were offered with state honours.

Bannu DPO Ziauddin Ahmed, Lakki Marwat DPO Taimur Khan and military authorities placed floral wreaths on the coffins.

Separately, Constable Sanamat Khan was martyred when some miscreants opened fire on him in Sra Darga area. “He was stationed in Miranshah town of North Waziristan district and had returned to the village on leave,” said an official.

The police launched a search operation in the area after the incident.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday strongly condemned a terrorist attack on police personnel in district Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The prime minister prayed for the high ranks of Shaheed DSP Gul Muhammad Khan, constable Naseem Gul and others, and expressed sympathies with the bereaved families, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

The prime minister said that the KP police had been acting like a bulwark against terrorism. Cowardly terrorist activities could not shake their determination, he added.