By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A roadside bomb attack targeted a convoy of foreign diplomats in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Sunday, killing one policeman and injuring three others in the latest violence to hit the restive region bordering Afghanistan.
The blast targeted the convoy of diplomats from 12 countries – including Indonesia, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Iran, Russia, and Tajikistan – in Swat’s Malam Jabba resort.
Police said the incident occurred when an advance scout police vehicle was struck by the explosion. The diplomats, invited by a local chamber of commerce, returned safely to Islamabad.
“As a result of the blast, Constable Burhan has embraced martyrdom, while three other policemen – including Sub-Inspector Sar Zameen, Constable Amanullah, and Constable Habib Gul – have sustained injuries,” Swat Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Muhammad Ali Khan said.
Khan said the explosion was caused by a remote-controlled improvised explosive device (IED). “All the ambassadors remained safe in the attack and had been shifted to a safe place before their departure to Islamabad.”
Authorities have cordoned off the area surrounding the site of blast and launched a search operation for suspects. “A heavy police deployment has been made to the location and an extensive search operation is underway,” Khan said.
No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Russian Embassy in Islamabad said on the X platform that Ambassador Albert P Khorev was among the diplomats and that “several policemen were injured, diplomats were not harmed.”
“On September 22, Ambassador Albert P Khorev, along with several other Ambassadors, took part in the Swat Tourism Summit organised by the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry,” the embassy said.
“On the way to the hotel from the town of Mingora in Khyber Pakhtunkwa, an escort vehicle hit a mine. Several policemen were injured, diplomats were not harmed.”
The Foreign Office (FO) condemned the attack, saying the diplomats safely reached Islamabad.
“The convoy was travelling to Islamabad after their trip to Malam Jabba when an advance scout police vehicle was hit by an IED which resulted in a casualty of the police detail,” the Foreign Office said in a statememt.
“The group of diplomats has returned safely to Islamabad,” the FO statement read.
“We honour our law enforcement authorities that remain steadfast in the face of terrorists. Such acts will not deter Pakistan from its commitment towards the fight against terrorism.”
A new wave of militant attacks has swept through the country’s northwestern region, with security forces and police targeted in almost daily assaults.
The Pakistani Taliban, outlawed by Islamabad, is suspected of being behind the violence, with officials accusing the group of using Afghanistan as a haven. Islamabad has accused Kabul’s Taliban rulers of “facilitating” anti-Pakistan militants, a charge Afghanistan denies.
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