SWAT: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari said here on Thursday that there were no terrorists in Swat and situation in the district was completely under control.

Addressing a press conference at the office of regional police officer, he said that at least 18 checkposts were being established on the mountains to monitor the movement of suspected elements entering Swat from outside.

The IGP said that situation in Swat was completely peaceful and under control. He added that the morale of police was high and they were ready to tackle any untoward situation in the district.

Senior officials including Malakand Deputy Inspector General of Police Zeeshan Asghar, Commissioner Shaukat Ali Yousafzai and District Police Officer Zahid Nawaz Marwat were also present during the press conference.

Terms attack on school van result of family dispute

“For the past few months, the people of Swat have been in a state of chaos and insecurity due to continuous incidents, leading to ongoing protests. In the protests, the people of Swat demanded peace and security,” said Mr Ansari.

He said that after protests were staged by people, Peshawar corps commander visited Swat and talked to the elders at a jirga. He said that chief secretary also met the elders of Malakand division to discuss the issue with them.

The IGP denied presence of terrorists in Swat and said that police were establishing at least 18 checkposts on the mountains to monitor the movement of suspected elements entering the district from outside.

He claimed that the attack on the school van in Gulibagh area on October 10 was not an incident of terrorism rather result of a domestic dispute.

On October 10, two armed men on a motorcycle opened fire on a school van in Gulibagh area of Charbagh tehsil, killing its driver Hussain Ahmad and injuring two schoolchildren.

The incident sparked anger among the people of Swat and other parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Political activists, members of civil society, teachers and students took to streets against the incident and demanded of the law enforcement agencies to trace the attackers.

“Since the people of Swat have witnessed a lot of difficult and harsh times due to the wave of terrorism in 2007, they could not bear the recent incidents. They were not ready to witness situation like 2007 and 2008 again, so they took to streets against the attack,” said the IGP.

He said that after Swat police, Counter-Terrorism Department conducted a thorough investigation into the incident. He said that the probe was completely supported by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and the office of inspector general of police.

“I am proud that police and CTD took the case seriously and conducted a scientific investigation into it. Evidence and investigation proved that it was not a terrorist attack but result of a domestic dispute between the relatives related to issue of honour,” he said, adding that the driver of the van was allegedly killed by his brother-in-law.

Mr Ansari said that the accused, after targeting the van driver, fled to Dubai on October 16 while police arrested a man, who was also involved in the murder. “We are using a diplomatic channel with United Arab Emirates to bring the main culprit back,” he said. He added that police also recovered the weapon and the motorcycle used in the crime.

Published in Dawn, October 21st, 2022