THE bloodshed continues unabated. On Wednesday, at least 12 policemen were martyred in the line of duty in KP. Ten lives were lost in an ambush in Kohat while a police party was returning from a clearance operation, and two more were martyred in Swabi when a police patrol came under fire. Separately, an explosive-laden pickup slammed into the main gate of a police station in Dera Ismail Khan, but the attack was promptly repelled. Thankfully, no police casualties were reported in the latter incident. Still, a dozen lives lost in a single day and at least a dozen more injured and hospitalised is a heavy toll for a provincial police force engaged in a relentless, fierce fight against terrorists threatening the state’s writ every day. The Kohat ambush, in particular, appears to have been a major security incident. By police accounts, a team that conducted a joint operation with the civil administration against illegal gold mining in the Darbukach area was returning after completing its objectives when it was ambushed by what appears to have been a very large group. At least 18 attackers were killed as the police fought back.

Official data shows that police fatalities and injuries in the first half of this year alone had doubled from the year before. The number of attacks, on the other hand, had risen by 34pc. The data suggests that attacks on police have become increasingly deadly, and, coupled with shortfalls in personnel, arms and necessary equipment, the KP police are increasingly vulnerable as they play a frontline role in ongoing operations against terrorists. Though October saw a marked improvement in the number of attacks compared to just a month earlier, the three incidents on Wednesday underline how fragile those gains can be if the police are not strengthened while the state has the upper hand. After the centre took control of the province, it bears full responsibility for the police’s protection. The new administration appointed to oversee KP’s affairs must immediately ensure that the provincial security forces receive all the funds they have requested and fill vacant posts on an urgent basis. It must ensure armoured vehicles, protective equipment, night-vision devices and better weapons are supplied to frontline personnel, and that intelligence and army backup are available during police operations in high-risk areas.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2026