At least three policemen were martyred and two others sustained injuries when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a police checkpost in Kargah Nala area of Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) early on Saturday, police said.

Five or six militants attacked the Kargah Police Checkpost in Joot area, some 40 kilometres from Gilgit, at around 5am, Superintendent of Police (SP) Gilgit Tanvirul Hassan told DawnNewsTV.

Twelve police personnel were present at the checkpost at the time of the attack. Three foot constables (FC), namely Nawaz, Fazal and Wakeel were martyred in the firing. FC Zeshan and FC Zia were injured and were shifted to District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital Gilgit for medical attention.

According to SP Hassan, one of the assailants was killed, and another injured in retaliatory fire by the police. The rest of the attackers fled the scene after dropping their weapons.

According to Deputy Inspector General Gohar Nafees the assailant killed in the encounter, known as Commander Khalil, had a bounty of Rs3 million on his head. He was nominated in multiple cases related to terrorism, including the murder of nine foreign tourists in Nanga Parbat in 2013. He was also suspected of being involved in the murder of three security officials in Chilas in 2013.

A second attacker, identified as Commander Umar is injured, police say. Both the attackers belonged to Diamer.

Residence of deputy commissioner attacked

The attack came hours after unknown assailants opened fire on the residence of Diamer Deputy Commissioner Dildar Malik.

DC Diamer Dildar Malik. — Photo by author
DC Diamer Dildar Malik. — Photo by author

The bullets fired by the gunmen early on Saturday morning hit the outer walls of the DC's house, SP Diamer Mohammad Ajmal said, adding that it appeared that the assailants had opened fire from a distance. DC Malik, who was present in the house, remained safe in the incident.

SP Ajmal said police started a search operation to apprehend the assailants soon after the firing incident; however, they had managed to escape.

Meanwhile, a bulldozer parked at the site of a development project was set on fire in GB's Khambri village.

The latest violence in GB come days after suspected militants set fire to more than a dozen schools in Diamer. According to officials, 12 schools were partially damaged while two schools were completely torched using incendiary material.

Opinion

Editorial

System failure
Updated 12 Nov, 2024

System failure

Relevant institutions often treat right to internet connectivity with the same disdain as they do civil and political rights.
Narrowing the gap
12 Nov, 2024

Narrowing the gap

PERHAPS a pat on the back is in order for the ECP. Together with Nadra, it has made visible efforts to reduce...
Back on their feet
12 Nov, 2024

Back on their feet

A STIRRING comeback in the series has ended Pakistan’s 22-year wait for victory against world champions Australia....
Time to deliver
Updated 11 Nov, 2024

Time to deliver

Pakistan must display a serious commitment to climate change adaptation and mitigation at home.
Smaller government
11 Nov, 2024

Smaller government

THE IMF bailout programme has put the government under pressure to curtail its spending, especially current...
Unsafe inheritance
11 Nov, 2024

Unsafe inheritance

DESPITE regulations, the troubling practice of robbing women of their rightful inheritance — the culprits are ...