KHAR: An official of the political administration and five security personnel were martyred in a roadside bomb blast in Mamond tehsil of Bajaur Agency on Sunday, officials said.

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the blast that occurred in the Garigal area.

An official of the local administration said political tehsildar Syed Fawad Ali, along with five personnel of the Bajaur Levies, rushed to Garigal after receiving reports that an improvised explosive device (IED) had been planted along a road there. The remote-controlled device had been successfully defused and the tehsildar was on his way back to office, along with the security personnel, he added.

According to sources, another IED planted at a close distance on the same road went off, destroying the vehicle carrying them. Fawad Ali and four personnel died on the spot, while his guard Rashid Zaman suffered injuries and was taken to the agency headquarters hospital in Khar.

The security personnel died in the blast were identified as Mutaber, Biradar, Jan Muhammad and Yousaf.

According to a statement issued by the hospital, Rashid Zaman later succumbed to his injuries.

Security forces rushed to the area and launched a search operation, but no arrest was made till late in the night.

Their funeral prayers held in Khar were also attended by senior civil and military officials.

Fawad Ali, a graduate from Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad, belonged to the Gujar Garhi area of Mardan district. His body was sent to his native village after the funeral prayers.

Claiming responsibility for the blast, TTP spokesman Mohammad Khurasani said struggle for elimination of the democratic system inherited from infidels and promulgation of Islamic system would continue. “Every hurdle will be removed in this regard,” he said in a statement issued from an unspecified place.

This was the second IED blast over the last one month in Bajaur which is relatively considered peaceful as compared to other agencies of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.

On Aug 11, an IED hit a bus, killing three civilians and injuring 26 others.

The officials said Fawad Ali’s two predecessors had laid down their lives in the line of duty in Bajaur since 2007.

Various militant outfits, including the banned TTP, had set up a parallel administration across Bajaur Agency, forcing the army to launch several operations to restore writ of the state.

Condemnation

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra condemned the Bajaur blast and expressed shock over the loss of lives in it. According to a statement issued in Peshawar, the governor also prayed for the early recovery of “wounded persons”.

Ironically, Mr Jhagra and his secretariat were completely unaware that the blast left no survivor.

According to APP, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi strongly condemned the blast in Bajaur. The prime minister prayed for the departed souls and expressed deep grief and condolences for the bereaved families, the PM Office’s media wing said in a press release.

Published in Dawn, September 18th, 2017