SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: An assistant head of the police’s Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was martyred after an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in the Janta area of Sararogha tehsil in Upper South Waziristan district on Saturday while he was attempting to defuse it.

Upper South Waziristan district police officer (DPO) Ashfaq Khan told Dawn that the official, identified as Abdul Jabbar, was busy defusing the IED when an explosion occurred, leaving him seriously injured. He later succumbed to his injuries.

Police sources said that Jabbar had successfully defused an IED planted in the area before the explosion. However, another explosive device went off when he was attempting to neutralise it.

According to police sources, the second device was suspected to have been planted by terrorists to target the BDS. However, the circumstances surrounding the incident were being investigated.

Police sources told Dawn that the Sararogha police station SHO, along with a contingent, rushed to the site after receiving information about the blast.

The police team inspected the area, collected evidence and launched an investigation into the incident.

The incident comes amid a persistent surge in terrorist attacks in Upper and Lower South Waziristan districts over the past two years.

Personnel of the police, security forces and civilians have increasingly come under attack in the two districts, raising serious concerns about the deteriorating law and order in the region.

The martyrdom of the BDS official has once again highlighted the risks faced by personnel involved in defusing IEDs and other explosive materials in the terrorism-hit tribal districts.

Abdul Jabbar’s death is another loss for the police force, particularly those engaged in dangerous operations to prevent explosive devices from causing casualties among residents and security personnel.

On the same day, an incident was reported in Toi Khulla Bazaar in Lower South Waziristan district, where an unidentified person wearing a burqa threw a hand grenade near the place where police personnel were seated. However, the grenade failed to explode.

Police sources told Dawn that the unidentified suspect managed to flee the scene after the incident. His identity could not be established as he was wearing a burqa.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2026