SWAT – At least 17 policemen were martyred and more than 40 people wounded in explosions at a Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police station in Swat’s Kabal area on Monday night.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police Inspector General Akhtar Hayat Khan said security officials were on “high alert” throughout the province.
Meanwhile, the provincial health department imposed a state of emergency at hospitals in Swat.
CTD DIG Khalid Sohail the media that it was “not a suicide attack”.
“There was no attack or firing on the police station. The explosion occurred at a place where ammunition and mortar shells were stored,” he said.
He said the cause of the explosion was being investigated. Bomb disposal squads were also conducting an investigation, he added.
The CTD DIG earlier said two explosions had occurred and the building that collapsed was an old one while most offices and personnel were located in a new building. The building’s collapse caused a power outage, the extent of which was yet to be determined, he added.
Earlier, District Police Officer Shafi Ullah Gandapur (DPO) said a “suicide attack” had taken place.
Consequently, government officials condemned the blast and vowed to defeat terrorism.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the Swat incident and expressed grief over the loss of precious lives. He prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and directed the authorities to submit a report on the incident.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah condemned the incident and expressed sadness over the lives lost. “This scourge of terrorism will be uprooted soon,” he asserted.
KP Caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan condemned the blast and directed that the injured be provided timely medical attention. The provincial government would not abandon the heirs of those martyred, he assured.
Punjab Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori also condemned the Swat incident.
