PESHAWAR: When a policeman was recently martyred in Dera Ismail Khan in an apparent incident of target-killing, it was another reminder of the risks facing cops in this old city-district in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
This was the first act of terrorism in Dera Ismail Khan in 2019 and it happened in January. Kamran, an official of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, was shot at by unidentified motorcyclists in broad daylight in a crowded street and martyred. The killers made good their escape.
Khwaja Khalid Farooq, a former inspector general of police, Punjab, was saddened by the incident and he wrote this tweet: "One CTD constable Kamran was hit in the head today in area of PS City, DIK by unknown m/cycle terrorists. Resultantly he died. There have been 23 deaths of policemen in DIK so far. Shaheed policemen laid their life for protection of citizens.”
The CTD personnel are a prime target of the terrorists as they play an important role in identifying and apprehending those involved in acts of terrorism, target-killings and sectarian violence.
Dera Ismail Khan has been in the grip of terrorism for years, but the situation has improved considerably despite its vulnerable location close to the erstwhile tribal area of South Waziristan and the Frontier Regions (FRs) of Tank and Drazinda. Following the merger of Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the South Waziristan Agency has become a district and FR Tank and FR Drazinda are now called sub-divisions and regular police would be deployed there in due course of time.
Since the early 1980s, sectarian violence has been a major challenge in Dera Ismail Khan. Sectarian strife affected not only Dera Ismail Khan but also the nearby areas of Hangu and Kurram. Dera Ismail Khan is now the largest district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in terms of area. Previously, Chitral and Kohistan were the largest districts area-wise, but the former has now been split into two and the latter into three districts.
Besides, militant organisations had gained a foothold in the region since 2001 and military operations and intelligence-based actions had to be conducted to flush them out. Remnants of these groups continue to launch terrorist attacks occasionally.
Dar Ali Khattak, regional police officer for Dera Ismail Khan, pointed out that the district served as a transit route for militants operating in the region due to its closeness to parts of erstwhile Fata, Balochistan, south Punjab and Afghanistan. “The situation is now under control, but we have to stay alert to cope with the threat. The targeted attacks on our cops and innocent civilians have made us more determined and active to foil such assaults. We are also seeking public support to trace the culprits,” he added.
Talking to The News, he conceded that a number of policemen along with members of other law-enforcement agencies and civilians were martyred in acts of terrorism over the years. However, he pointed out that the casualty figures for 2018 were less in comparison with 2017. He said nine cops were martyred and two sustained injuries in 2018 in targeted attacks while four other people lost their lives. Our cops too are sometimes targeted due to sectarian reasons,” he added.
The police figures for Dera Ismail Khan for the last 10 years from January 2008 to December 2018 show that 111 cops were martyred and 180 sustained injuries in acts of terrorism and targeted attacks. Ejaz Langrial, the district police chief for Dera Ismail Khan, was among those martyred.
During the same period, seven army soldiers were martyred and 14 were wounded. Besides, five personnel of the Frontier Constabulary were martyred and one was injured.
As for the civilians, 474 civilians were martyred in the 10 year period ending December 2018. The list included Israrullah Gandapur and Ikramullah Gandapur, the politician brothers who were martyred in suicide bombings in October 2013 and July 2018, respectively, in their native Kulachi in Dera Ismail Khan. Both were provincial ministers affiliated with the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) at the time of their death.
