ISLAMABAD: A suicide bombing occurred in Islamabad’s I-10/4 district on Friday, killing one police officer and injuring at least six others, including four other police officers and two civilians.
Television footage displayed a burning car wreckage with a significant number of police officers searching the area. The Islamabad Police quickly issued a “red alert” for the city.
Sohail Zafar Chattha, the deputy inspector general of police, said that about 10:15 a.m., officers in the area observed a “suspect vehicle” with a man and a woman inside.
“The pair got out of the automobile as the cops pulled over the car. Alongside Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon, he gave a press conference at the scene of the crime. “The long-haired man, while being searched by the cops, went into the vehicle on some pretence and then detonated himself,” he said.
According to Chattha, the blast claimed the life of an Eagle Squad police officer and injured four additional officers. For “saving Islamabad from a big foul play,” he praised the police.
Dr. Iqbal Durrani, the joint executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) that five injured officers and two bodies had been transported to the hospital.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah independently verified that “two terrorists” perished in the explosion.
“The blast-related vehicle was registered in Chakwal. It was loaded with explosives and headed for a high-value target in the capital when the automobile reached Islamabad from Rawalpindi, he added.
Sanaullah stated that there would have been significant losses had the automobile struck its intended target.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an outlawed organisation, took responsibility for the attack.
The Islamabad police had earlier named the deceased officer as Head Constable Adeel Hussain in a tweet. According to the report, terrorists have been targeting police for some time in an effort to demoralise officers.
Red Alert Issued
The Islamabad inspector general ordered the city to be placed on “security red alert” as soon as the explosion was confirmed.
The police announced in a tweet that “non-specimen” number plates will be strictly enforced, and that no one will be permitted to carry weapons.
It is recommended that locals travel with identity documents. As a security measure, particularly in the wake of a new wave of terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, Islamabad police said in a statement that its Eagle Squad had searched 2,024 suspicious people, motorcycles, and vehicles.
Condemnations
The blast was strongly denounced and the authorities were asked for a report by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
In a statement, the prime minister noted that the terrorists’ evil scheme to kill innocent people had been thwarted by the swift action of law enforcement.
He instructed the authorities to give those hurt in the explosion the best care available.
Additionally, the premier gave the Islamabad police chief instructions to recognise the bravery displayed by law enforcement officials when battling terrorists and to present awards of recognition to individuals who displayed “exceptional bravery.”
The nation will continue the fight against terrorism, he added, adding that “we will cleanse our country of all such individuals who are the enemies of Pakistan and murderers of innocent people.”
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari decried the explosion and expressed sorrow over the policeman’s martyrdom.
He praised the “brave men of Islamabad police” in a statement released after the explosion.
“Terrorists have been organising here [in Islamabad] for the last three years, and today even the capital is not safe,” he asserted, adding that if the counterterrorism measures prepared after the APS attack were not put into action, the situation would get worse.
Khan urged the government to act quickly to provide the local police with facilities and training since “they are our frontline combat force.”