PESHAWAR: The Additional Inspector General of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, Muhammad Ashraf Noor, was martyred while seven policemen were wounded in a suicide attack in Hayatabad here Friday. Ashraf Noor was the senior most police officer in the province after Inspector General of Police Salahuddin Khan Mahsud. He was currently serving as Additional IG Headquarters at the Central Police Office. He is the most senior police officer of the country after former Frontier Constabulary Commandant Safwat Ghayur to have died in a terrorist attack. “A suicide bomber riding a motorbike hit the car of Additional IG Ashraf Noor at around 8:45 am when he was on his way to office,” Mohammad Tahir, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) told The News. He added that seven other cops were wounded and taken to the Hayatabad Medical Complex. According to the CCPO, there was no specific threat to the martyred officer. Experts said around 15kg explosives were used in the explosion that was so loud that it was heard all over Hayatabad, a posh locality of Peshawar, and in many parts of the city and its surroundings. The road was closed for traffic as heavy contingents of police and army cordoned off the area after the blast. “The Additional IG Headquarters embraced martyrdom when a bomber hit his car soon after the driver reduced speed to take a U-turn near the Al-Zarghuni Mosque,” Director Public Relations of the KP Police, Dr Zahidullah Khan, told The News. He added said that seven policemen, including the driver and gunman of the Additional IG Headquarters, were wounded. Earlier, there were reports that the late Ashraf Noor’s gunman was also martyred in the attack. However, he was injured and is under treatment at the hospital where his condition was stated to be critical till the filing of this report. According to the wounded driver of the martyred officer, he along with Ashraf Noor and a gunman were in the same car when the suicide bomber rammed his motorbike with their vehicle soon after they took a U-turn near the Hayatabad Sports Complex. Ambulances and rescue workers rushed to the spot immediately after the blast and shifted the wounded to the Hayatabad Medical Complex. According to the Rescue 1122 officials, the wounded included late Ashraf Noor’s driver Zeeshan, gunman Roohullah, escort vehicle’s driver Zeeshan, and police constables Sohrab Ali, Shaukat Khan, Ammad Ali, Kamran and Ijaz Khan. Some reports said two civilians were also wounded in the incident and shifted to hospital. Meanwhile, the militant group Islamic State, or Daesh as it is commonly known, claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing in which senior cop Ashraf Noor was killed. It made the claim in an Arabic language statement on its webpage. The statement was issued belatedly as no claim of responsibility was made for hours. The investigators would now try to find out if the Daesh claim that it undertook the suicide bombing in Peshawar is correct or not. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Speaker Asad Qaiser, Corps Commander Peshawar Lt-Gen Nazir Ahmad Butt, senior police and civilian officers, politicians and others attended the funeral of the slain official at the Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines. A smartly turned out contingent of the KP Police presented salute to the coffin. Later, IGP Salahuddin Mahsud, CCPO Mohammad Tahir, SSP Operations Sajjad Khan and others carried the coffin of Ashraf Noor to the ambulance. “KP Police is fighting the war for the survival of the country. We are committed to restoring peace in the country at all costs,” IGP Salahuddin Mahsud told reporters after the funeral of his deputy. He paid tributes to the martyred officer for his dedication to his job as a police officer as well as a human being. Ashraf Noor, 54, had joined the force as assistant superintendent of police in 1989. Belonging to Gilgit-Baltistan, he served throughout his career in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Ashraf Noor had also served as the district police officer in Chitral and Kohistan and as Deputy Inspector General Investigation, DIG Inquiries, DIG Special Branch, Commandant Police Training College Hangu, Deputy Commandant Frontier Constabulary and Additional IG Elite Force in the KP. He was promoted to grade-19 in 2005, grade-20 in 2010 and to grade-21 in February this year. Some of his neighbours said the martyred officer was fasting when he was attacked. He was known for his simple lifestyle and honesty. His body was later transported to his ancestral village. There have been several target attacks in Hayatabad in recent months. Apart from the martyrdom of an army officer in a suicide attack near Bagh-e-Naran, a deputy director of the Intelligence Bureau and another officer serving in Islamabad survived attacks on their lives in the last several months. A vehicle transporting judges to Hayatabad was also attacked sometime back. Hayatabad is located adjacent to Khyber Agency. A boundary wall has been built to protect its inhabitants and the “Safe Hayatabad Project” was launched in November last year to secure the town sited on the boundary with the tribal areas. Apart from a number of target killings, suicide attacks, kidnappings and rocket barrages, bombs planted by extortionists have also hit Hayatabad in the past. Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak strongly condemned the incident and expressed deep grief over the sad demise of Addl IG Ashraf Noor and prayed for the departed soul. He noted that Ashraf Noor protected lives of citizens by sacrificing his life. He added that police officers and personnel were being targetted to seek revenge against them for eliminating terrorism and restoring peace in the province. Agencies add: AIG Ashraf Noor belonged to Sermik, an area 40 kilometer off Skardu. He is survived by two widows and eight children Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi "strongly" condemned the murder. "Our resolve to eradicate the menace of terrorism can not be shaken," he said in a statement. Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, meanwhile, paid tribute to Ashraf Noor. According to Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG-ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor’s Tweet, the army chief strongly condemned the attack and added, “Salute to supreme sacrifice of our Police comrade. “Our determination remains undeterred against threats to our motherland.” Pakistan People’s Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the suicide attack killing AIG Ashraf Noor. Zardari expressed his sympathy with the victim’s family and prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul. Senate Chairman Mian Raza Rabbani, on behalf of Senate, also condemned the blast in Hayatabad area and the martyrdom. Senator Sitara Ayaz also condemned the incident and demanded the provincial government to take effective steps to curb such incidents in the country targeting security officials and civilians. Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal also condoled the sad demise of Ashraf Noor. In his condolence message, the minister sympathised with the bereaved family of the Shaheed AIG and added that the whole nation was united against terrorism. Terrorists could never deter the determination of Pakistani nation through such acts of terrorism. He vowed purging the country from the menace of terrorism. Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran condemned the incident of terrorism in the strongest terms and expressed sorrow and grief over the loss of the life of additional IGP. “The attack is the worst kind of brutality and does not deter nation's resolves and efforts to uproot terrorism,” the PTI chairman maintained. He said that every new attack against innocent civilians, brave soldiers or law enforcing agencies added strength to the nation's resolve against terrorism and hence perpetrators will never taste success in their evil designs. "Sacrifices being made by police officers and personnel will not go in vein", he said, demanding thorough investigations and stern action against the culprits. He expressed solidarity with the bereaved families and offered condolences over the sad demise of their loved ones and added that such attacks will not deter the determination and dedication of the KP police and PTI government in their fight against terrorism. National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, and Deputy Speaker Murtaza Javed Abbasi also condemned the bomb blast and expressed heartfelt grief and sorrow over the assassination of Ashraf Noor. In their separate statements, the Speaker and Deputy Speaker termed it a barbaric and shameful act of terrorism. They said that the elements involved in such activities were the enemies of humanity and the country. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb also strongly condemned the blast and expressed condolence with the members of the bereaved family.
