SWABI: The local leaders of Awami National Party have rejected the police claim that the building of the Swabi city police station flattened when the explosives kept in a room went off on Thursday night, and asserted that it was a terrorist act and that it should be thoroughly probed.

Addressing a news conference at the Swabi Press Club the other day, they demanded that the district police should convene a meeting of all the parties and other stakeholders and arrange a presentation about the incident to satisfy political leaders.

Asifur Rehman, ANP Swabi president, flanked by senior vice-president Tausif Ijaz, general secretary Nawabzada and tehsil Razaar president Mohammed Ishfaq, said that the government should thoroughly probe the incident and bring out the truth to the public.

“We want to know the facts as we don’t want to see Swabi district pushed into the fire of terrorism. Three months ago, extremist graffiti appeared on rocks in Gadoon Amazai mountainous region, but we don’t know as to who was involved as the police simply removed it, but didn’t inform the people as to who was behind it,” said Mr Ijaz.

Nawabzada said: “Peace of Swabi is being harmed but we will never allow the district to drift into the fire of terrorism.”

Mohammed Ishfaq said that they wanted that all political and religious parties should make joint efforts for establishing durable peace in the district, shunning their differences for the sake of people’s protection.

Meanwhile, officials at the Bacha Khan Teaching Hospital said on Saturday that three more people, who were injured in the Swabi city police station blasts, had been discharged from the facility.

They said that two injured remained under treatment with one of them in the intensive care unit due to his critical condition.

They said that one of the injured, an assistant sub-inspector, was expected to be operated upon on Monday.

The officials said that all medical facilities were being provided free of cost to the injured of the blasts and they were given high priority as per instructions of the senior health officials.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2024