Two police officials were martyred while five others received injuries in terrorist attacks on policemen deployed on census duty in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank and Lakki Marwat districts, police and Rescue-1122 confirmed on Monday.

Constable Khan Nawab was martyred while police constables Shah Nawaz and Aslam Khan, Levies official Bismillah, Frontier Constabulary official Abdullah and driver Eid Jan received bullet injuries in an armed attack from terrorists on a police van deployed for the security of census staff in Tank’s Kot Azam area.

The injured officials retaliated and forced the attackers to retreat who later escaped from the scene. Meanwhile, a fresh contingent of police reached the spot, cordoned off the area and started a search operation.

The martyr and injured were moved to District Headquarters Hospital Tank for medical treatment where their condition was stated as being stable.

In another attack in Lakki Marwat’s Parwala village near Sadar police station, two terrorists targeted Constable Dil Jan deployed on census duty and martyred him on the spot.

The terrorists managed to escape after the incident. A heavy police contingent reached the spot and surrounded the area and initiated a search operation.

Similarly last week, a cop was martyred while four others were injured in a terrorist attack targeting a census team in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan district. The banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Surge in terrorism

Over the past few months, the law and order situation in the country has worsened, with terrorist groups executing attacks with near impunity across the country.

Since the talks with the TTP broke down in November, the militant group has intensified its attacks, particularly targeting the police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and areas bordering Afghanistan. Insurgents in Balochistan have also stepped up their violent activities and formalised a nexus with the TTP.

According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think-tank, January 2023 remained one of the deadliest months since July 2018, as 134 people lost their lives — a 139 per cent spike — and 254 received injuries in at least 44 militant attacks across the country.