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Pakistan

AIG Ashraf Nur, guard killed in Peshawar suicide blast

Dunya News

The AIG was travelling to work when the explosion targeted his vehicle.

PESHAWAR (Dunya News) - Additional Inspector General (AIG) Headquarters Ashraf Nur and his security guard were martyred on Friday morning when a suicide bomber on a motorbike rammed into their vehicle in Hayatabad Phase 2 area of Peshawar.

According to details, the AIG was travelling to work when the explosion targeted his vehicle as a result of which it caught fire killing Asharf Nur and his guard. Five other people including three policemen were injured in the incident and were shifted to Hayatabad medical complex.

The explosion was so intense that it broke the window panes of nearby buildings.Heavy contingent of police personnel cordoned off the area and initiated a search operation. 

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Tahir Khan said that the attack was pre-planned. He told that the suicide bomber was riding a motorcycle and detonated his explosives after approaching the IG’s vehicle.

Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Operations Sajjad Khan has said that 15-20 kilograms explosive material has been used in the blast that was placed in the motorcycle and suicide jacket. Police has also found the body organs of the suicide bomber and motorcycle parts from the crime scene. 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IG Salahuddin Khan Mehsud confirmed that the explosion was a suicide blast. While paying tribute to the martyred AIG, Mehsud said that they are in a state of war and will continue to fight terrorism with full strength.

ATTACK CONDEMNED

While strongly condemning the attack, Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi lauded the sacrifices of police personnel in the fight against terrorism and said that such acts of militants can not deter our law-enforcement agencies and the nation in taking the fight against terrorism to its logical conclusion.

The Prime Minister prayed for eternal peace of the departed souls and grant of courage to the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss.

In his message, Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said ‘our determination remains undeterred against threats to our motherland’.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan strongly condemned the incident and vowed that terrorism will not deter the determination of KP police and PTI government.

Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal and State Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb have also condemned the suicide attack.

Ahsan Iqbal said the nation stands united for eliminating terrorism from the country.

Marriyum Aurangzeb said our enemies cannot impede our progress and prosperity by such heinous acts of terrorism.

Funeral prayer of the martyred Additional Inspector General of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police was offered in police line Peshawar on Friday afternoon.

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Corps Commander Peshawar Lieutenant General Nazir Ahmad Butt, IG police and others high ranking civil and military officials attended the Namaz-e-Janaza.

ASHRAF NUR’S PROFILE

The martyred AIG was born in Gilgit Baltistan in 1963. He joined the police force on November 18, 1989. Ashraf Nur served as SP headquarters Abbotabad, DPO Chitral, Charsadda and Kohistan, DIG Investigation, DIG Special Branch, commandant Police Training Centre, Hangu and AIG Elite Force.

He was transferred to Frontier Contabularly and promoted to BS-21 grade earlier this year. The AIG was due to retire on April 4, 2023.

Peshawar has borne the brunt of militant violence for years and was the scene of the country’s deadliest-ever terror attack, a Taliban assault on an army-run school in 2014 that left more than 150 people dead -- most of them children.

Related Topics
Peshawar
Pakistan
Terrorism