At least 14 people including police officials have been martyred and 18 others injured after a suicide bomber struck Kabal police station in Swat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), police and rescue officials confirmed.
Swat police spokesperson Nasir Iqbal Karimi confirmed the death toll on Sunday. Malakand Division Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Fida Hussain told an international media outlet that police officers were among the martyred and that another body, believed to be the bomber, had been shifted to hospital.
Swat District Police Officer (DPO) Umar Khan said that the bomber set off his explosives after police tried to stop and search him at the entrance of the station. The DPO noted that police remained on high alert. “Security forces have cordoned off the area and an investigation is underway to collect further evidence,” he added.
The blast went off near the police station gate as hundreds of people gathered at nearby Kabal Chowk for a demonstration against the recent surge in terrorism across Swat Valley. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi said that nine bodies were shifted to Central Hospital Saidu Sharif while five others were taken to Kabal Hospital, where doctors pronounced them dead. He mentioned that two of the injured remain in critical condition.
Police, rescue teams and local authorities rushed to the site once the blast tore through the crowd. Security personnel sealed off the area and began a search operation.
The demonstration had pulled in a large crowd from across the district and the explosion hit just as the final speaker was addressing them, sending people into panic. No group has so far claimed the attack.
Before the blast, speakers at the gathering had condemned the return of terrorism to Swat and called on the government to ensure lasting peace, saying their movement stood for one cause alone: ending terrorism in the region. They argued that maintaining law and order fell squarely on the state, and warned that continued insecurity could push the public toward the kind of unrest seen in other countries recently.
President Asif Ali Zardari voiced sorrow over the deaths and called for a full investigation, according to a statement from his office on X. He directed authorities to ensure the best possible treatment for the injured.
“Terrorists will never succeed in their nefarious efforts to undermine peace, national unity and the writ of the state,” he was quoted as saying, adding that the sacrifices of the KP police were “a source of pride for the entire nation.”
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the attack. “Terrorists cannot demoralise the nation with cowardly attacks,” he was quoted as saying in a statement.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned the incident as well, asked the KP Inspector General of Police for a report and offered condolences to the victims’ families. “The elements hostile to peace will never be allowed to succeed in their nefarious intentions,” he was quoted as saying.
