ISLAMABAD: A police officer was killed and an official from paramilitary forces, another police officer and a civilian were injured in a firing incident on Friday, police said.

They said three officials, Head Constable Imtiaz Ahmed, constable Zahid and Frontier Constabulary (FC) official Bismillah were deployed on I.J. Principal Road near I-9/1 and New Katarian when two individuals on a motorcycle began firing at them.

The officials fired back, and the three officials and one of the attackers received bullet injuries. Police said the attackers escaped before police teams and ambulances arrived at the scene. Head constable Ahmed was pronounced dead at the hospital, while Mr Zahid was shifted to the intensive care unit and is in critical condition.

Police said the FC official is in stable condition.

Police quoted the FC official as saying one of the attackers was also injured, but managed to escape.

According to the police, eyewitnesses said two individuals on a motorcycle came from the Rawalpindi-New Katarian side, and approached the law enforcement personnel after crossing I.J. Principal Road.

A massive search operation was launched in the nearby parts of Islamabad and in Rawalpindi, police said. Separate teams have been constituted to seek out the injured attacker at private or state run hospitals in the twin cities.

A police official told Dawn the attack seems to be a targeted one, with the intention of killing, as the attackers came from Rawalpindi and targeted the officials. However, he added that a motive for the attack has not yet been established.

He said it was possible the attackers were trying to remove the officials, in order to give other accomplices safe passage, but added that it was too early to describe the attacks as they could be miscreants, target killers or militants.

Police said a woman, identified as Asma Bibi, was also injured in the firing. Her condition was brought to the police’s attention after she arrived at a hospital in Rawalpindi. Police said the woman seemed to be a pedestrian who was injured in the firing between the officials and the attackers.

Published in Dawn, February 13th, 2016