Two policemen among five martyred in Swat blast

MINGORA: Five persons, including a former member of a village defence committee and two cops, were martyred in a remote-controlled bomb blast at Bara Bandai Kotkay, Kabal tehsil, Swat district, on Tuesday.

Sources said Idrees Khan, ex-chairman of the peace committee, was on his way when his vehicle was targeted with a remote-controlled device. As a result, Idrees Khan, two cops namely Rambail Khan and Tauheed Khan, and two passersby were martyred on the spot.

It was learnt that the passersby, whose names could not be ascertained, were labourers and passing through the area when the explosion occurred. A vehicle was also damaged in the explosion. Idrees Khan remained a member of the committee in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has taken notice of the incident and directed the inspector general of police to present a report. He expressed sympathies with the victim families and said that their sacrifices would not go waste. He vowed that the perpetrators of violence would be taken to task.

It may be mentioned that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants had recently established a check-post on the Balasur Top in the Matta tehsil of the Swat district and were roaming in other areas. It panicked locals in the scenic valley. They later staged protests against the return of the Taliban and demanded a decisive action against them. Also, the Taliban had reportedly kidnapped a man for ransom from the Balasur area in the Matta Tehsil of Swat district. Muhammad Hayat, the brother of kidnapped person Muhammad Farosh, had lodged a first information report (FIR) with the Counterterrorism Department that TTP members had made calls from a mobile phone from Afghanistan and were demanding Rs10 million ransom.