[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]Terrorists gunned down two Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials at a local hotel in Khanewal on Tuesday, a senior police official confirmed. South Punjab Additional Inspector General of Police (AIGP) Sahabzada Shahzad Sultan told journalists that the incident was an act of terror.
He went on to say that the perpetrators were riding a motorcycle. “One inspector remained unharmed” among the CTD officials, Sultan said. AGIP Sultan went on to say that the shooting happened in a hotel parking lot, killing Director CTD Naveed Sial and Inspector Nasir Abbas.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah took note of the incident and requested a report from Punjab’s inspector-general of police and the province’s chief secretary. “The incident is lamentable,” Sanaullah said in a statement. He expressed his concern about the security situation in Punjab, adding that the provincial government should take the necessary steps to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future.
In December 2022, militants also took over a CTD compound in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu area, which was cleared three days later by Pakistan Army soldiers. Four soldiers, however, chose martyrdom, and ten were injured. The latest incident occurs as Pakistan experiences an increase in terror incidents, particularly in KP and Balochistan, following the Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) breaking a ceasefire with Islamabad.
The meeting determined that terrorists are Pakistan’s enemies, and the entire country is united in its fight against terrorism. “Those who challenge the state’s writ will face a full-force response,” the statement said. During the previous year, Pakistan experienced 376 terror attacks, resulting in increased casualties in KP and Balochistan, with December proving to be the country’s deadliest month.
The Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) stated in its annual report that the majority of these attacks were claimed by banned terror organisations such as TTP, Daesh, and the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
