September 23, 2024
By Rehan Piracha
LAHORE
A convoy of foreign diplomats escaped unhurt in a roadside blast in Swat on Sunday, Sept 22. Police said a constable, Burhan Ali, was martyred while five personnel were injured in the roadside explosion.
The local business chamber criticized the administration for providing inadequate security during the high-profile visit, which was cut short due to the unfortunate incident.
On Sunday, the Islamabad and Swat chambers of commerce invited a group of foreign diplomats, including ambassadors, for a two-day visit to Swat for promoting local industries, including handicrafts and gemstones. The delegation included representatives from 11 countries – Indonesia, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Iran, Russia, and Tajikistan.
The foreign dignitaries reached Mingora, a city in Swat, and attended a lunch at a local hotel hosted by the Swat Chamber of Commerce. On the way to the Malam Jabba Ski Resort, an improvised explosive device hit a police squad vehicle leading the diplomats’ convoy.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office said the diplomats remained unhurt in the attack and safely returned to Islamabad. The Russian embassy in Islamabad also confirmed that Ambassador Albert P Khorev was in the convoy but remained safe during the attack.
Swat chamber blames local administration for ‘inadequate security’
According to Rahat Ali Khan, President of the Swat Chamber of Commerce, the incident led to the curtailment of the foreign dignitaries’ two-day visit to the region. “The diplomats and ambassadors were to attend a presentation during the Swat Tourism Summit at Malam Jabba followed by a dinner,” Khan told Voicepk.net on the phone from Mingora. “The next day, the delegation was to visit the Swat University and visit Buddhist stupas,” he added.
Khan blamed the local administration including the region’s commissioner, for not taking adequate security measures for the important visit of foreign dignitaries from 11 countries. He claimed that the escort vehicles did not carry jammers to block remote-controlled explosive devices considered a norm for such visits. He added that no military personnel were included in the security detail. “The security fiasco has brought to naught all efforts to promote Swat tourism and local gemstone mining industry to the world,” Khan said.
FAK group named in FIR
According to the first information report (FIR) registered with the Counterrorism Department Swat police station, police have nominated unidentified terrorists from the ‘FAK group’ affiliated with the proscribed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). But no group has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet. The TTP has distanced itself from the incident via a message circulated on social media.
Following the blast, the injured policemen were shifted to a nearby hospital, where one of them, Constable Burhan Ali, succumbed to his wounds. The injured include Sub-Inspector Sar Zamin Khan; constables Muhammad Khan, Hussain Gul and Amanullah; and driver Rahmatullah.
Senior police officials attended the funeral prayers for the martyred cop in Mingora before his burial in his ancestral town.
In separate messages, President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi have condemned the attack. “Our sympathies are with the families of the shaheed and injured policeman. We honour our law enforcement authorities that remain steadfast in the face of terrorists. Such acts will not deter Pakistan from its commitment towards the fight against terrorism,” the Foreign Office said in its note over the incident.