Two policemen martyred in KP after militants attack judges' security squad

• Two policemen also sustained injuries in attack. 
• 20-25 armed men opened fire on security squad. 
• PHC CJ Ishtiaq Ibrahim calls emergency meeting.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN/PESHAWAR: Two policemen were martyred when a convoy of judges came under attack by militants at a junction between Tank and Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, The News reported Saturday. 

According to the reports, the militants were lying in wait to attack the police squad deputed to provide security to the judges serving in South Waziristan and Tank. 

Additional District and Sessions Judge, South Waziristan, Malik Asghar, Additional District and Sessions Judge, Tank, Malik Husnain, and Senior Civil Judge Mahjabeen were returning to DI Khan after duty at the camp office in Tank when 20 to 25 armed men opened fire on their security squad.

Two cops, Abdul Samad and Abdullah, were martyred while as many were injured in the attack. Meanwhile, the judges escaped unhurt in the attack.

The other members of the squad returned the fire and forced the attackers to flee the area. Sources said that the exchange of fire between the cops and the militants continued for almost 30 minutes.

The three judges are said to be hailing from DI Khan. The attackers took away a van from the police to Cheena village in Tank where they torched the vehicle.

Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court (PHC) summoned the provincial police chief and additional chief secretary home on Monday to discuss upgraded security for the judicial officials after the attack on judges. 

PHC Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim called an emergency meeting after learning about the Tank incident.

Justice Ijaz Anwar, Justice SM Attique Shah, Justice Shakil Ahmad, Justice Syed Arshad Ali, Registrar Ikhtiar Khan and Additional Registrar Administration Mumrez Khan Khalil were in attendance. The participants of the meeting stressed strengthened security measures for the judicial officials in the merged districts.

It was asserted that there would be no compromise on the security of judicial officials and no negligence would be tolerated in this regard.

The country, during the second quarter of 2024 witnessed 380 violence-linked fatalities and 220 injuries among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws, resulting from as many as 240 incidents of terror attacks and counter-terror operations, said a Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) Annual Security report.

This includes 236 fatalities among civilians and security forces personnel, the report said.

KP and Balochistan, both of which share borders with neighbouring Afghanistan, have faced the brunt of terrorist attacks and reported nearly 92% of all fatalities and 87% of attacks — wherein the former suffered 67% and the latter 25% of all fatalities in the second quarter of 2024.