DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Four Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials were martyred in firing by unidentified assailants near Qureshi Mor in Dera Ismail Khan, while a separate attack on a highway traffic police mobile near the Mufti Mahmood Chowk bypass left a police official martyred and another injured, police said on Tuesday.
Dera Ismail Khan District Police Officer Ziauddin Ahmad told Dawn that two of the four FBR officials were serving with the board on a contractual basis.
The assailants fled after the attacks, prompting police to cordon off the areas and launch search operations, the police added. An investigation into the incidents is underway.
In the other attack near the Mufti Mahmood Chowk bypass, unidentified assailants opened fire on a highway traffic police mobile, martyring the police official driving the vehicle. Another official was injured and taken to the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital for treatment, police said.
Senior police officials visited the hospital following the attacks and reviewed the situation, according to the police.
Meanwhile, mobile phone services, which had remained suspended across DI Khan district for three days, were restored, providing relief to residents and traders.
The prolonged suspension had disrupted communication and affected routine commercial and public activities across the district.
The restoration of mobile services also came after the postponement of the second annual matriculation examinations scheduled to begin on Oct 7.
Controller of Examinations Qaiser Anwar had announced that the examinations scheduled from Oct 7 to 10 would be rescheduled, with the new examination schedule beginning on Oct 12.
The authorities have not publicly linked the suspension of mobile phone services to the attacks. Further details about the circumstances surrounding the incidents and the identity of the assailants were not immediately available.
KP has been witnessing terrorist attacks and security challenges for a long time.
Sept 2026 particularly witnessed a significant deterioration in Pakistan’s overall security environment, accompanied by growing political, economic and regional pressures, according to Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
Militant violence increased substantially, with 225 attacks recorded nationwide, compared with 199 in August, representing a 13.1 per cent increase and the highest monthly total recorded in 12 years.
On Sept 27, 14 people, including two rescue officials, were martyred and 35 sustained injuries after a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden vehicle into a police checkpost in and then targeted an ambulance taking bodies to hospital in DI Khan.
On Sept 18, a major attack in the old Police Lines in KP’s Kohat claimed 23 lives and injured about 100 others. Eight terrorists were killed during an overnight clearance operation.
