A bomb blast on Sunday killed a police officer and injured at least three others in the security detail of nearly a dozen foreign diplomats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district, police said.
Swat district police officer Zahidullah Khan said the diplomats were visiting area on the invitation of local chamber of commerce.
“The squad that was leading the convoy was hit by a roadside bomb,” he said.
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At least three police officers were wounded, Khan said.
All diplomats were safe and were heading back to Islamabad, police said.
“All the ambassadors remained safe in the attack and had been shifted to a safe place before their departure to Islamabad,” Deputy Inspector General of police Mohammad Ali Gandapur told Reuters.
In a post on X, Embassy of the Russian Federation said Russian Ambassador to Pakistan Albert P. Khorev was also part of the delegation.
“On September 22, Ambassador Albert P. Khorev, along with several other ambassadors, took part in the Swat Tourism Summit organised by the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
“On the way to the hotel from the town of Mingora in Khyber-Pakhtunkwa, an escort vehicle hit a mine. Several policemen were injured, diplomats were not harmed,” it wrote.
‘Diplomats returned safely to Islamabad’
The foreign office in a statement said an advance scout police vehicle was hit by an IED, which resulted in the casualty of the police detail.
“All members of the diplomatic corps have returned safely to Islamabad,” it said. “Our sympathies are with the families of the shaheed policeman and three injured in the incident.”
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The FO said Pakistan honours its 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,” it said.
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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the “terrorist attack” on the police vehicle and prayed for the elevation of ranks of the martyred police officer. He expressed condolences to the bereaved family.
PM Shehbaz prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured officers in the attack and instructed that they be provided with all possible medical assistance.
In a separate statement, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the blast near the police van in the jurisdiction of Malam Jabba Police Station in Swat.
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He paid tribute to the police constable Burhan Khan, who was martyred in the blast.
Naqvi expressed condolences and sympathy with the family of the martyred officer and prayed for speedy recovery of the injured officers.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police have made great sacrifices in the war against terrorism, he was quoted as saying in a statement shared by the Ministry of Interior.