A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Gul Mohammad Khan, and Constable Naseem Gul were killed in a militant attack on their vehicle in Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. The attack occurred near Manjiwala Chowk. Another officer was injured and taken to the hospital. Police responded to the incident and began searching for the attackers.
South Waziristan Shooting
In a separate incident on Friday, a police constable was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in Lower South Waziristan. The gunmen targeted a post-polio vaccination assessment team in the Manra area. While the security officer was killed, other members of the team were unharmed.
Security Concerns in Afghan Border Provinces
These attacks highlight the ongoing security challenges in Pakistan’s provinces bordering Afghanistan, particularly KP and Balochistan. A recent report by the Islamabad-based Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) found that these two provinces accounted for over 90% of fatalities and attacks linked to terrorism and security operations in the first quarter of 2024.
National Violence Statistics
The CRSS report also revealed that Pakistan experienced at least 432 fatalities and 370 injuries in violence-related incidents during the first quarter of 2024. These incidents included 245 terror attacks and counter-terrorism operations. KP and Balochistan provinces saw the highest number of fatalities, at 51% and 41% respectively. The remaining provinces reported significantly fewer deaths.
The report further noted a rise in violence compared to the previous quarter (October-December 2023). The number of fatalities increased from 91 to 178, with Sindh province also experiencing a nearly 47% rise in violence, though with fewer deaths.
