Islamabad, May 18 (IANS) At least three people, including prominent tribal elder and Ahmadzai Wazir tribe chief Malik Tariq Wazir, were killed and four others injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in the Rustam Bazaar area of Wana in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday, according to officials and local media reports.
District Police Officer (DPO) Mohammad Tahir Shah Wazir said that the explosion took place near Gulshan Plaza when a vehicle carrying Tariq was passing through the market. According to officials, three people were killed and four others were injured in the blast, Pakistan’s daily Dawn reported.
The DPO said unidentified assailants had allegedly planted explosive material near Gulshan Plaza during the night, which exploded in the morning. Following the incident, police personnel cordoned off the area and began a search operation to find the perpetrators behind the attack.
Residents and rescue workers took the bodies of the deceased and injured people to the hospital for treatment and legal formalities, Dawn reported.
On May 16, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed concern over the sharp deterioration in security in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where residents were increasingly caught between enforced disappearances, targetted killings and militant attacks.
It stated that the alleged kidnapping of the vice-chancellor, pro-vice chancellor and two other Gwadar University employees in Mastung, while travelling from Gwadar to Quetta, sparks questions about the state’s ability to secure major highways and protect residents.
In a statement posted on X, HRCP stated, “HRCP is deeply alarmed by the sharp deterioration in security across Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where citizens are increasingly caught between enforced disappearances, targeted killings, and militant attacks.”
“In Balochistan, the alleged abduction of the vice-chancellor, pro-vice chancellor, and two other Gwadar University employees in Mastung, while travelling from Gwadar to Quetta, raises serious questions about the state’s ability to secure major highways and protect civilians. HRCP is equally disturbed by the killing of Professor Ghamkhwar Hayat in Noshki earlier today and reminds the government that when teachers and academics are abducted or shot dead, the consequences extend far beyond individual tragedies,” it added.
According to the statement shared by HRCP on X, the deadly attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu, Bajaur, and Lakki Marwat highlight worsening pattern of militant violence that continues to take lives indiscriminately.
“In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, deadly attacks in Bannu, Bajaur, and Lakki Marwat, including the bombing of a crowded market in Sarai Naurang, point to a worsening pattern of militant violence that continues to take lives indiscriminately, including those of civilians, police officers and security personnel,” HRCP posted on X.
“We urge the state to move beyond statements of condemnation and demonstrate that human life and public spaces can still be protected. The recovery of the missing university officials, credible investigations into all such attacks, and accountability for perpetrators are immediate and necessary first steps,” it added.
–IANS
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