IB officer, passer-by shot dead in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: An officer of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and a passer-by were killed on Monday in firing by motorcyclists here in the Tauheedabad locality in the limits of Agha Mir Jani Shah (Yakatoot) Police Station. The incident is apparently part of the growing incidents of target killing in the provincial capital, especially in the limits of the Yakatoot Police Station.

Usman Gul, an IB inspector, was on way to office on his motorbike when armed motorcyclists opened fire on him on the Wazir Bagh Road. The official as well as a helper of a local mechanic, Iftikhar, sustained bullet injuries in the attack and were rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital. The IB officerdied before he could reach hospital. The other victim expired in the hospital.

Senior police and intelligence officials rushed to the spot and carried out a search operation. However, the attackers could not be arrested.  The limits of the Yakatoot as well as Faqirabad police stations have become infamous for target killing of security personnel, government officials and other high-profile individuals in the last many months. A number of senior officers, including police, Frontier Constabulary, Civil Secretariat and IB officials, have come under attacks in the provincial capital.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-i-Islami, which is part of the ruling coalition in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, expressed concern over the rising incidents of target killing in the city. Senior police officers admitted that the areas of Yakatoot and Faqirabad have really become a headache for the Capital City Police where target killing incidents are continuing unabated.  “The cops are in a fix as to how to find a solution to the issue, particularly in Yakatoot and some areas of Faqirabad. The same problem has also emerged in the limits of a few other police stations in north of the city, including Daudzai, Khazana, Mathra and Regi police stations,” said a source. The police authorities have recently decided to set up a security post in Qazi Killay to keep a check on such incidents.