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PESHAWAR: A Lieutenant Colonel of the Pakistan Army was shot dead when unknown assailants targeted him near Ring Road in Peshawar's Hayatabad area on Friday.
SP Peshawar Cantt Kashif Zulfiqar told DawnNews that Lt Col Tariq Ghafoor, resident of Hayatabad Phase VI area, was on his way to a nearby mosque to offer Friday prayers when he was targeted by unknown armed men.
SP Kashif further said that the attack might be result of some personal enmity.
Spokesperson for the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group, Muhammad Khorasani, claimed responsibility for the attack in an email sent to journalists.
Lt Col Tariq Ghafoor was posted in Peshawar and was undergoing postgraduate studies at a government university, said a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
The deceased was the son of Maj-Gen (retd) Fazal Ghafoor, who also served as Inspector General Frontier Corps between 1994-1997 and later as a diplomat, after retiring from military service.
Hayatabad is a posh suburb of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province's capital city Peshawar on the south-western fringe of the city.
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Comments (33) Closed
Mar 11, 2016 03:14pm
V sad news. RIP
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Mar 11, 2016 03:15pm
How many precious lives are needed for peace in this country.
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Mar 11, 2016 03:19pm
T o him we belong and to him do we return.
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Mar 11, 2016 03:52pm
@ALI - and what does it mean ?
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Mar 11, 2016 03:58pm
@A Ali He simply means we have do die one day and law enforcement agencies can not do their jobs properly.
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Mar 11, 2016 04:03pm
Sad it honestly if he had been killed in karachi,who would have been blamed??as he has been shot in peshawar,should should be blamed?
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Mar 11, 2016 04:05pm
@ALI ...but not this way
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Mar 11, 2016 04:08pm
Such incidents are sad, but equal difficult to understand given the kind of relations our security agencies have shared with militants and extremists in the past.
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Mar 11, 2016 04:17pm
Some religious parties & many individuals are still confused on the issue of war on terror. How many more innocent lives they will need to shun away their confusion.
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Mar 11, 2016 04:25pm
If this is a terrorist attack, then these fanatics will not stop till they are uprooted and eliminated from the society. Fanatics don't listen to reason and do not change their mind. The only way is to eliminate them from the roots.
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Mar 11, 2016 04:28pm
Rangers operation is direly needed in KPK especially in Peshawar to crack down illegal weapons.
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Mar 11, 2016 04:29pm
This country needs major clean up operation. If the soldiers fighting for ideological borders of the county, and are killed inside that very land this is indication that enemy is inside that needs to be handled with equal severity.
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Mar 11, 2016 04:41pm
do we need to look into why Govt did not played their part in NAP ?.
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Mar 11, 2016 04:54pm
It makes me very sad. RIP. I pray for his family members. May God help them in this hour of deep grief. Pakistan Army has lost many such precious lives in order to save Pakistan from terror.
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Mar 11, 2016 05:22pm
Taliban are claiming responsibility. How can it be personal enmity?
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Mar 11, 2016 05:26pm
Same elements still roaming around who have brought infamy to this wonderful country.
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Mar 11, 2016 05:38pm
Sad that senior Army officers are not safe in Pakistan.
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Mar 11, 2016 05:59pm
These sad events will continue to take place unless:
1. There is complete ban on use of firearms by civilians 2. Strong and exemplary punishments for any civilain carrying/in possession of firearms 3. The politicians or feudal lords should not be exempted 4. The only exemption be army, Rangers and police and NO ONE ELSE.
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Mar 11, 2016 06:18pm
It is a fact that TTP are equally against us the Pashtun Nationalists and Pak army. Both suffered great losses. But we have to stand the brutalities till their elimination.
Though very sad but the struggle will go on.
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Mar 11, 2016 06:22pm
what is KPK govt doing?
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Mar 11, 2016 06:34pm
@Philosopher (from Japan) indeed , but if it was a khi.
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Mar 11, 2016 06:43pm
Very sad
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Mar 11, 2016 07:40pm
May God rest his soul in peace. He was my class fellow in school.
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Mar 11, 2016 07:48pm
Very sad. There is stronger need for introspection by those promoting extremism even inadvertently. Seems the Govt is failing in promoting a counter-narrative to the extremist elements. Elimination of terrorism cannot be achieved merely through use of military force.
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Mar 11, 2016 08:18pm
Very sad a promising carrier cut short by these so called religious fanatics. I can not under stand common many carrying prohibited bore fire arms where as here it is difficult to obtain license for .38 bore revolver or pistol the Govt must control these fire arms which are meant for security agencies only. May his soul rest in peace.
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Mar 11, 2016 08:20pm
Unfortunately things as these will still happen. Track these killers and this group with full force.
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Mar 11, 2016 08:35pm
Long live our armed forces! Your precious life and your blood is sacred to us. We will hunt down these animals who did this to our son. R.I.P officer!
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Mar 11, 2016 09:09pm
A true shaheed, protector of a muslim nation, answering the call to Friday prayer to remember his Almighty. Shot by those hiding under name of Islam, and who should have been answering the call to prayer but instead answered the call by TTP leader to go kill instead , at time of prayers. We know, the noose is tightening around Khorosani of TTP and we know who funds him in Afghanistan ,as well. We pray for the Brave soldier Col Ghafoor and his family.
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Mar 11, 2016 09:14pm
Pakistani nation and Pak Army personnels are sacrificing their lives even in uniform and at home as well. And the corrupt bureaucrats and politicians are just enjoying and making statements for cheap popularity.
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Mar 11, 2016 11:18pm
God bless his soul.Really sad.
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Mar 12, 2016 01:15am
it is so sad.
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Mar 12, 2016 01:49am
@Pakistani I think Pakistanis are not behind due to our politicians. Politicians are corrupt in many parts of the world. It's extremism that is destroying Pakistan. If there would have been peace, Pakistan would have progressed despite corruption.
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Mar 12, 2016 03:15am
Thousands are missing at hands of security forces, no one sheds a tear for them. Someone somewhere will hit back.
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