In a shocking incident a remote controlled blast targeted the convoy of foreign diplomats in Pakistan. The incident occurred when the convoy was en route to Jabba from the Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. One policeman was killed and four sustained injuries following a remote-controlled bomb explosion’ that targeted a police van guarding the convoy.
According to the District Police Officer (DPO) Zahidullah Khan, the attack was directed towards a group of foreign diplomats, and as a result, one officer died and four others were hurt. Khan, who also confirmed the explosion, stated that the impacted mobile van was leading the convoy carrying 11 foreign diplomats. He said the deceased policeman was identified as Burhan, while the four injured included a sub-inspector, as reported by Geo News.
Following the incident, police officials told the media that all envoys were safe and had been relocated to Islamabad. They also noted that when the explosion happened in the Sherabad suburbs, the diplomats were on their way to Malam Jabba following an event at the Chamber of Commerce in Mingora.
The travelling convoy had ambassadors and officials from Indonesia, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Iran, Russia and Tajikistan.
Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari strongly denounced the incident. According to a statement issued by the President’s House. Zardari paid his respects to the police officer killed in the attack and prayed for the quick recovery of everyone hurt in the incident.
Notably, Pakistan has been witnessing rising violent attacks since the return of Taliban to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. The area of Khyber on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border is considered especially volatile as it is a stronghold of TTP, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an Islamist militant group allied with the Afghan Taliban.
A TTP spokesperson has so far denied the groups involvement in detonating the improvised explosive device that hit the police vehicle accompanying the convoy. In a separate statement, the TTP said it had nothing to do with the attack.
Authorities in Pakistan are still investigating to determine whether there was a security breach since details about the convoy’s travel plans had been circulated only to officials, the Associated Press reported.