Judge comes under attack in Diamer

DIAMER: The vehicle of a district and sessions judge came under attack in the Daryal area of Diamer, Gilgit-Baltistan, on Sunday.

"The assailants fired at District and Sessions Judge Malik Inayat's vehicle. Luckily, the judge remained unhurt in the attack," police said. Speaking to Geo News on phone, Sessions Judge Malik Inayat denied reports that he was accompanied by his family at the time of the attack. "I was alone in the car at the time," he said.

"My car was fired at different spots over a distance of two kilometers. But instead of stopping the car, I kept driving really fast." The sessions judge further said he was headed to the funeral of police official Arif Hussain, who was martyred on Saturday in a clash which occurred during a search operation to arrest those involved in attacking schools in the area, when his vehicle was targeted.

Police have launched a search operation in the area to arrest the attackers. Raids have been going on in the area in a bid to arrest the suspects involved in the attack on over one dozen girls' schools on Thursday night. Gilgit-Baltistan police said 31 suspects had been arrested so far for involvement in the attacks.

Agencies add: Two, including the prime suspect involved in the torching of 14 schools over a period of two days in Diamer, were killed during a search operation in the Tanger area on Sunday, Diamer Police Spokesperson Muhammad Wakeel confirmed. He claimed that the attackers were trained in Afghanistan.

The claim came after 31 suspects were arrested for involvement in attacking schools in the area. Raids are under way in different areas to arrest the suspected attackers.

One policeman was killed and another injured during a gunbattle with armed suspects in Chilas on Saturday, IG G-B Sanaullah Abbasi said. Police official Arif Hussain was killed in the clash which occurred during a search operation to arrest those involved in attacking schools in the area, the IG-GB said.

“A suspect, Shafiq, was also killed in the clash and another was arrested from the Tangir area,” Abbasi said. “We will eliminate terrorism from the area,” the IG G-B vowed. Further, DIG Diamer Division Gohar Nafees said, "A suicide jacket, a hand grenade and arms and ammunition were found at suspect Shafiq's house." "Search operations in the area will continue till the elimination of terrorism," the DIG asserted.