Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Tuesday said the gun attack on police in Islamabad the previous night was not a robbery or dacoity gone awry but an act of terrorism.

The interior minister was talking to the media after attending the funeral prayers of Head Constable Munawar, who was martyred in the shootout on Monday night.

"He (Munawar) was on duty and terrorists shot a burst [of fire] on him," Rashid said. "This was not an incident of theft or robbery. We have received a kind of signal that terrorist incidents have started happening in Islamabad.

"This is the first incident of the year and we need to be very alert," he added.

The minister said the martyred policeman demonstrated through his sacrifice that Pakistan's civil armed forces lay down their lives for the country's protection and were highly alert.

Regarding the perpetrators, he said the two individuals were terrorists and had been killed.

On Monday, a police spokesperson had told Dawn that the shootout took place in Karachi Company police precincts in Sector G-8. Three other policemen were injured in the exchange of fire.

According to police, their personnel were on a routine patrol and had set up a checkpoint at Jillani Chowk. They said the police personnel tried to stop two men on a motorcycle for routine checking when the riders opened fire at the police party. The four officials retaliated and all suffered bullet wounds. The terror suspects were killed on the spot, while the policemen were shifted to hospital, where the head constable was pronounced dead.

It is said to be the eighth incident of violence against police officers in Islamabad since January 7. The interior minister had taken notice of the incident and asked the Islamabad inspector general of police to submit a report on the matter.