LAKKI MARWAT: A gas pipeline was blown up with an explosive device near Jabbarkhel area of Lakki Marwat district on Thursday night, a police official said.

He said unknown terrorists planted an improvised explosive device along the pipeline, which went off with a bang, extensively damaging the pipeline and disrupting gas supply.

“After the blast, a large police contingent reached the rural area and launched a search for perpetrators,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention that it was the second bomb attack on the gas pipeline in the district during the last 10 days. On the night of June 17, terrorists had blown up a gas pipeline with a homemade explosive device in the Wanda Amir area.

Meanwhile, 11 people, including five children, were injured in a mortar shell attack in the Kaichi Kamar area of Lakki on Friday.

Officials said the mortar shell fired from an unknown direction hit the villagers, who were present near a mosque. They said the injured were shifted to the Government City Hospital.

They included Bilal, 9, Ihsan, 10, Faizullah Khan, 50, Junaid, 19, Dilawar Khan, 32, Ziaullah, 30, Habibullah, 20, Alamzeb, Kashif, 7, Mohammad Hussain, 5, and Manhil, 6.

Separately, the police and security forces arrested several suspects during a search and strike operation in the mountainous terrain of Darra Pezu town of Lakki Marwat and in the area along Tank Road, district police officer Mohammad Jawad Ishaq said.

He said the operation was aimed to arrest anti-state elements and maintain peace and harmony during Muharram.

He said law enforcers destroyed the hideouts of miscreants and criminals’ gangs in the rural parts of the district.

Also, the police and security forces destroyed the hideouts of terrorists with mortar shells in Karak district.

The operation was launched on credible information about the presence of terrorists in Sarki Lawaghar area in the Takht Nusrati town.

“The terrorists had reportedly gathered in the mountains around the Sarki Lawaghar dam with an intention to execute subversive acts,” the Lakki DPO claimed.

He said the law enforcers conducted aerial surveillance of the hideouts of terrorists with drones before hitting them mortar shells. He said terrorists fled the area towards the hilly terrain.

Published in Dawn, June 28th, 2025