By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The Bajaur administration clamped a three-day curfew across 16 areas of the district on Tuesday and launched a sweeping operation against militants, a response to escalating violence that included a recent attack on a security post.
The move, designed to choke off terrorist activity, has sparked sharp criticism from political leaders who claim it’s ensnaring innocent residents in its net.
Bajaur District Police Officer Waqas Rafiq confirmed the developments to reporters, framing the curfew and operation as urgent steps to restore order. A notification from Bajaur Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ali Khan laid out the details: the curfew, effective from 5 a.m. Tuesday to 5 p.m. Thursday, July 31, bans all movement, by foot, vehicle, or otherwise, in the villages of Badi Siah, Tarkho, Irab, Gat, Agra, Khurchai, Dawagai, Kalan, Legharai, Kitkot, Gillai, Nakhtar, Zarai, Dambarai, Amanata, and Zagai in Tehsil Loe Mamund. The order, issued under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, warns that violators face prosecution under Section 188 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The deputy commissioner’s notice cited recommendations from the Bajaur District Intelligence Coordination Committee, stressing the need to lock down these areas to ensure public safety during targeted strikes against militants. “There’s a clear imperative to prevent any untoward incidents,” the notification read, urging residents to stay indoors and off the roads.
The crackdown follows a militant assault on the Thangi checkpost in Salarzai tehsil late Sunday night. Officials said terrorists struck the joint police and Frontier Corps post around 9:42 p.m., only to be driven back by a fierce response from security forces. No casualties were reported, and no group has stepped forward to claim the attack.
By Monday, police had fanned out across the district, stopping suspicious vehicles and individuals at key roads and entry points in a bid to head off further threats, according to a police statement.
Political blowback was immediate. Awami National Party (ANP) President Aimal Wali Khan accused authorities of harming civilians in the operation’s crossfire. “Innocent people were injured,” Khan charged, demanding an end to the violence. The Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) echoed his unease, declaring its opposition to the operation under present conditions.
The curfew and raids cap a bloody month in Bajaur. On July 10, ANP politician Maulana Khan Zeb and a policeman were gunned down by unidentified assailants. Days earlier, on July 2, a roadside bomb ripped through an official vehicle in the Sadiqabad area, killing five—including an assistant commissioner and a tehsildar—and wounding 17 others, among them several police officers.
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