DERA GHAZI KHAN: The three police officials, martyred in two encounters with gunmen on Sunday in Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur areas, were buried here with laurels on Monday.

In the Dera Ghazi Khan encounter, four people - one constable two gunmen and one bystander - were shot dead altogether and one constable was injured in the encounter with gangsters in the vicinity of Kot Mubarik police station, sources told Dawn.

A police team was on routine patrolling in the gangsters-ruled area that falls in the jurisdiction of Kot Mubarik and Shahsadar Din police stations of the district. The fight between the police and the Ladi gang took place near DG Cement Factory. After the encounter, gunmen fled to the mountainous area of tehsil Sulaiman.

The Dera Ghazi Khan police and the border military police have failed to eliminate the Ladi gang due to the lack of a coordination between the two police.

According to a police spokesperson, in the exchange of fire between the two sides, constable Sulaiman was martyred while gunmen (later identified as) Haider and Abdullah were found shot dead. Constable Imran and passerby Dost Muhammad were critically injured. They were rushed to the trauma centre where Dost Muhammad succumbed to his injuries.

The Ladi gang is the most wanted band of the district. The Ladi gang used to take refuge in the tribal area of Takht Sulaiman to save their skin from the Punjab police after committing crimes like motorcycle snatching, robbery, murder and kidnap for ransom in tehsil Dera Ghazi Khan.

Robberies and motorcycle snatching in the broad daylight have become a routine scene in Shahsadardin and Kot Mubarik police stations for a long time.

District Police Officer Asad Sarfraz told Dawn that one constable and civilian embraced martyrdom while two gangsters were killed and one constable was injured in the police encounter.

In Rajanpur’s Rujhan area, two police officials - Assistant Sub-Inspector Saqlain Quraish and Constable Alamdar - were martyred in the encounter with outlaws in tehsil Rujhan. They were buried on Monday where Regional Police Officer of Dera Ghazi Khan police range Imran Ahmer and Rajanpur DPO Ehsan Saif in the funeral prayer of the martyred police officials held in Rajanpur. Mr Ahmer said that both officials embraced martyrdom during performing official duty and they are pride of the nation.

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2019