PESHAWAR: A policeman was killed and two others, including a passerby, sustained injuries when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in the limits of Paharipura police station on Thursday.

An official of the police station told Dawn that the incident took place at around 9:30am when an IED targeting a police party went off in Budhu Samar Bagh locality. He said that a policeman identified as Syed Khan, a resident of Mustajab Ghari village of Mathra locality of Peshawar, was killed, while another policeman and a passerby sustained injuries in the blast.

The official identified the injured policeman as Niamatullah, a resident of Shabqadar, and the passerby as Ihsanullah, a resident of Pakha Ghulam village.

He said that the policemen were providing security to a polio team in the area.

Rescue 1122 took the injured to the Lady Reading Hospital where Syed Khan succumbed to his injuries, while two injured were being treated for wounds.

ASP Waseem Riaz Khan told Dawn that it was a roadside IED, which was used to target the policemen. He said that the device was placed beneath a tree and apparently it went off when the policemen were standing in its shade. He said that it was a time device weighing around one kilogramme.

Senior police and civil officers also attended the funeral prayers for the slain policeman at Malik Saad Police Lines.

Police teams, including the bomb disposal unit, visited the scene following the attack and conducted a search operation in the area. Sources said that about 30 suspects, including 20 Afghans, had been detained for questioning.

Counter Terrorism Department registered an FIR and has started investigations.

Published in Dawn, April 8th, 2016