Swat (Agencies): A policeman was martyred while three others were injured on Sunday when their vehicle, part of a convoy escorting dignitaries from 12 countries, was caught in an explosion on Malam Jabba Road in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district, police said.
Swat Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Muhammad Ali Khan told media that delegations from Indonesia, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Iran, Russia, and Tajikistan were part of the convoy.
“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,” Khan said.
He added that a heavy contingent of police had reached the incident site and relief work was underway, adding that the affected area had been cordoned off, while the police had started a search operation to look for suspects.
According to the DIG, 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,” the DIG told Reuters.
The diplomats were visiting the area at the invitation of a local chamber of commerce.
No one has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
Meanwhile, the Russian Embassy in Islamabad took to the X platform and announced that the vehicle leading the diplomats’ convoy “hit a mine” in Mingora. “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.”