Security in Peshawar enhanced as attacks on police continue

PESHAWAR: Security in the provincial capital in general, and police buildings and worship places in particular, has been enhanced during the holy month of Ramazan.

A hand grenade was lobbed into a police building in Badaber on Sunday that damaged a patrolling car parked there but did not cause any human casualty.

A patrolling car of the same police station was attacked with a hand grenade a few weeks back that had injured three cops.

Two hand grenades were hurled inside the Phandu Police Station while one was lobbed into a police post in the Industrial Estate Hayatabad in the last couple of months, pointing to the fact that the police force was once again under attack by certain groups.

An increase in attacks on cops and personnel of other law enforcement agencies in different parts of the province, especially the southern towns, has been reported in the last few months.

Security has been upgraded all over the province to avoid any untoward incidents during the holy month.

In Peshawar, apart from hand grenade attacks, many policemen have come under targetted attacks in the last few weeks. They included one inspector and at least three assistant sub-inspectors. Policemen across the district were directed after these attacks to be on alert during duty as well as while on way to the job or going back home.

A couple of elders from the minorities, including Hakeem Satnam Singh and Priest William Siraj, also came under attack by the armed men in Peshawar in the last few months.

The Counter-Terrorism Department and the local police claimed that they have held and killed members of the groups involved in these attacks. Those killed allegedly included the facilitators of the major terrorist attack on a mosque in Koocha Risaldar last month that had claimed 68 lives.

However, the groups are still active and pose a threat to the law and order situation in the provincial capital.

The CTD has registered 72 cases of terrorist incidents, 15 of target killing, 10 of extortion and one of kidnapping across the province in the last three months.

The data of the CTD shows that 19 terrorists were killed, nine terrorists carrying head money and 59 other criminals were arrested during the current year till March 21.