GILGIT: Three cops were martyred and five others were injured on Monday after unknown assailants opened fire on a police vehicle in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district, local and hospital officials said.

The police team was on its way back from Thor village after destroying poppy cultivation when unidentified assailants opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle, Caretaker Home Minister Sajid Baig told Dawn.

As a result, three police officials were martyred and five others, including a deputy superintendent of police (DSP), were injured, according to an incident report issued by the Chilas RHQ Hospital.

The report, seen by Dawn, said three police personnel were brought dead to the hospital, while five injured personnel were shifted to the facility’s Emergency Department.

“Among the injured, three individuals are undergoing surgical intervention, while the remaining two sustained minor injuries [and] are being treated at the hospital,” the report said.

The martyred cops were identified as Abdul Reheem Jami, Muqabil Shah and Hazratullah Musa. The injured personnel comprised DSP Faqeer Muhammad, Rehmatullah, Nakeel Ahmed, Niamat Saeed and Muhammad Nadir.

Following the shooting, an exchange of fire between the police and the miscreants continued for several hours. An additional contingent of police and law enforcement personnel had been sent to the site of the incident, Baig said.

The minister noted that the police team was attacked when returning from a two-day operation to destroy poppy crops “spread over a vast area of land”.

Meanwhile, considering the situation, the health ministry declared an emergency in the local hospitals of Diamer and directed the doctors and paramedical staff to remain alert.

In a statement, the caretaker home minister also condemned the incident. He expressed his heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families of the martyrs and directed that the best medical facilities be provided to the injured.

He said that such cowardly attacks would not demoralise the nation and every attempt to disrupt law and order would be foiled. Baig also directed the relevant agencies to conduct an immediate and transparent investigation into the incident and said that the involved elements would be brought to justice as soon as possible. 

He reiterated the resolve that peace and order would be maintained in Gilgit-Baltistan at all costs, and the protection of the lives and property of the people was the government’s top priority.

Every year, the poppy crop is harvested in the area to prepare opium, while police conduct operations to destroy the crops.

Police have previously destroyed poppy crops in multiple areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including Baranj tehsil in Bajaur, Bittani subdivison of Lakki Marwat district, Mohmand tribal district and mountainous areas of Raza tehsil in Swabi.