SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: A policeman was shot dead, while two of his family members were injured on Sunday after unidentified armed men opened fire on them in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan district, officials said.

According to the police, the incident took place in the Boya area of Upper South Waziristan. The policeman, identified as Constable Zahidullah Wazir, was martyred on the spot, while his father, Ghulam Nabi, and brother, Waheed, sustained serious injuries. All three belonged to the Shakai tehsil of Upper South Waziristan District.

“The martyred police constable was the brother of Muhammad Jan Wazir, a political moharrir of the district administration, Lower South Wazirista,” Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Wana Circle, Asghar Ali Shah, told Dawn.

“The condition of the injured persons is critical; however, they are being provided immediate medical treatment.”

Following the incident, the unidentified assailants managed to flee the scene. Police rushed to the area soon after receiving information, cordoned off the locality, and collected evidence, they said.

The injured persons and the body of the martyred police constable were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Wana, where medical treatment of the injured was underway.

DSP Shah added that the police have formally initiated an investigation to determine the nature and motives of the attack.

He clarified that the family of political Moharrir Wazir had “no personal enmity with anyone, and initial evidence suggested that the incident was an act of terrorism.”

Over the past year, the law and order situation in Lower and Upper South Waziristan as well as North Waziristan, has remained highly volatile, causing serious concern among local tribes.

Tribal elders have stated that frequent incidents have created fear and insecurity among the population.

According to police reports, incidents of bomb blasts, targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom, killings of civilians, and attacks on police and security forces’ check posts have intensified in the three tribal districts of KP, posing serious threats to overall peace and stability in the region.

The situation gradually worsened since November 2022, when the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke a fragile ceasefire agreement with the government and vowed to target security personnel, police and personnel of law enforcement agencies.