In-focus

KP IG initially rules out terrorism as death toll in Swat CTD police station blasts rises to 16

KP IG initially rules out terrorism as death toll in Swat CTD police station blasts rises to 16

Pakistan

Local police said two blasts occurred at the CTD's Kabal police station

SWAT (Reuters/ Dunya News) – Death toll in the Monday's twin explosions in the ammunition depot at the Swat's Counter Terrorism Department police station jumped to 16 on Tuesday, with the police authorities initially ruling out terrorism act.

The dead victims include policemen, a woman and a child and five prisoners. At least 50 injured victims including 44 cops were admitted to more than one hospitals. 

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police chief Akhtar Hayat Gandapur said the explosions that rocked the counter-terrorism office in Kabal area were not a terrorism activity rather some explosive material parked at the police station exploded. He said the investigation had been launched to establish negligence and other aspects including that of terrorim.  

The Swat valley was previously long controlled by Islamist militants before they were flushed out in a military operation in 2009.

The IGP's spokesman said in a statement issued later that ammunition caught fire, "most probably due to an electric short-circuit. No evidence of an attack from outside has been established so far." At one point the short circuit was also said to be the cause of explosion.

Pakistani police and military have got a significant presence of their counter-terrorism staff in the valley, which has been prone to the insurgency.

The militants also shot at and wounded Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai in 2012 in the scenic valley, the birthplace of Mullah Fazlullah, the former chief of the Pakistani Taliban, who was killed in an air strike in neighbouring Afghanistan in 2018.

Other aspects of the explosions are being investigated, the spokesman said.

Most of those killed in the blasts were police counter-terrorism officers, Hayat said, adding that a woman and her child who were passing by the building were also killed.

The regional chief of the counter-terrorism department Sohail Khalid told reporters that the explosions did not appear to be a suicide attack or other act of terrorism.

"There was a store where we had a huge quantity of weapons, and until now we believe that there might have some blast in it due to some carelessness" he said, adding, "We are keeping all our options open."

A hospital administration said it received several wounded people for treatment, some of them in critical condition.

According to Dunya News, two blasts occurred at the Counter Terrorism Department's Kabal police station in Swat on Monday that killed 12 people including one woman and injured 30.

As per reports, the blast was so severe that the roof of the police station collapsed while the security forces also took control of the area.

Meanwhile, the rescue teams shifted the injured to the nearest hospital and the hospitals of the city was directed to remain on high alert.

District Police Officer Shafi Ullah Gandapur (DPO) the blasts destroyed the building of the CTD police station and investigations have been started to find the motive of the attack.

CTD DIG Khalid Sohail said there was also power outage due to the collapse of the CTD building.

-- Preliminary inquiry blames short circuit for blasts --

Police in its preliminary investigation said the primary reason behind the two explosions was a short circuit in the ammunition depot.

The report claimed that no evidence of an attack from outside has been found and there is a high possibility that the blast was caused by a short circuit as fire erupted in the armoury [a place where weapons are kept].

CTD DIG Khalid Sohail told reporters that the ammunition caught fire due to negligence in the old office of the CTD. He ruled out the possibility that the explosions were suicide attacks or other acts of terrorism.

Sources told Dunya News that a two-member probe team has been constituted. The provincial home secretary and the DIG Special Branch will investigate the suspected blast.

-- Condemnations --

Prime Minister Shehabz Sharif condemned the blasts at the CTD police station and demanded a detailed report from the relevant officials. He also ordered the best possible treatment of those injured in the incident.

PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan also offered his condolences to the families of the victims. He also expressed his hopes for a speedy recovery for those who were injured in the incident.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah condemned the blasts and gave hope to the nation that the menace of terrorism would be eliminated soon and he also prayed for the departed souls.

In a statement, the minister regretted over the loss of precious lives in the explosion. Sanaullah also expressed his sympathy to the families of martyrs and prayed for them to bear this irreparable loss.

“We will never forget the sacrifices of the martyrs for the security of the country and the nation”, he stated. The scourge of terrorism will be uprooted soon, he said adding that the Home Minister has been asked for a report on the incident.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker chief minister Azam Khan also condemned the attacks and ordered best possible facilities to the injured.

Similarly Punjab caretaker chief minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed sadness at the painful incident and prayed for the recovery of injured.

-- Funeral prayer offered --

The funeral prayer of nine martyred cops was offered at the Kabal Police Lines. KP IGP Akhtar Hayat Gandapur and other senior officers attended the funeral prayer.