Bullet-proof car saved Waziristan DPO, cops lives

PESHAWAR: The district police officer of North Waziristan survived a coordinated attack at three points on Monday only because he was using a bullet-proof car, highlighting the importance of the armoured vehicles for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police.

The police chief of North Waziristan, Waqar Ahmad, and his escort car was attacked by terrorists in Bannu. The DPO remained unharmed but five policemen who were guarding the officer were wounded and shifted to hospital.

“It was a major attack on the DPO but luckily he remained unharmed because of the bullet-proof car. Five of our policemen are injured and are being treated,” Regional Police Officer Bannu Sajjad Khan told The News.

“They carried out the attack at three different points. One of the sniper targeted the side window exactly where I was sitting,” said Waqar Ahmad.He said the glass was bullet-proof and the bullet could not break it. The DPO said his cops fought bravely and caused casualties to the attackers despite some of the policemen were wounded after being hit from the back side.

The casualty of police would have been higher had the escort car not been armoured from both sides. Last month, an SP Asad Zubair was martyred in Hangu when his car was attacked by terrorists. His car was not armoured. And so are the vehicles of the majority of police officers and jawans, especially those deployed in the troubled districts.

A number of DPOs as well as officers heading operations in the troubled districts are not having bullet-proof vehicles in KP that have witnessed the worst attacks on police and security forces.

The province is well short of a sufficient fleet of armoured cars for senior cops, especially those leading operations in troubled areas. An official said some RPOs and DPOs were recently given bullet-proof cars while a few others are to get it soon.

Apart from Bullet-proof cars provided to officers, armoured plates were installed on both sides of many single and double cabin vehicles being used by the junior cops for patrolling and other purposes.

However, many of the DPOs and other officers are without the protected vehicles despite serious threats. Few old bullet-proof cars also need to be upgraded and repaired. Such vehicles are more needed in districts where frequent attacks on police were reported in the last many years.