‘Suicide blast’ in Islamabad’s I-10: One policeman martyred, several injured

A suicide blast in a vehicle left a policeman martyred and at least six people injured in Islamabad’s I-10/4 sector on Friday, the federal capital’s police said in a statement.

Shortly afterwards, the Islamabad Police declared a “red alert” in the city.

According to Deputy Inspector General of Police Sohail Zafar Chattha, the police spotted a “suspicious vehicle” with a man and a woman aboard at 10:15am in the area.

“When the police stopped the vehicle, the couple came out of the car. The long-haired man, while being checked by the officers, went inside the vehicle on some pretext and then detonated himself,” he said in a media briefing at the crime scene alongside Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon.

Police officials said that cops had stopped a “suspicious” taxi for snap checking when the explosion occurred.

In a tweet, the Islamabad police said police officers were conducting snap-checking when they signalled to the suspicious vehicle to stop.

“A suicide bomber aboard the vehicle detonated a bomb soon after the car stopped near the officers,” it said.

Injured cops were moved to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.

All the hospitals in Islamabad have been put on high alert, a notification issued by the Ministry of National Health Services said. The ministry said to ensure the attendance of all the medical and paramedical staff.

The Ministry of Health said that all federal hospitals should be kept on high alert keeping in view the current situation.

Soon after the blast, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif summoned a report of the suicide blast and also condemned the terror incident.

The PM also paid tribute to the martyred policemen, adding that the nation pays tribute to its martyrs. He added that the whole nation will fight against terrorism. 

“The plan to shed innocent blood has failed due to the action of the law enforcement agencies,” said the PM. He also announced a martyr package for the family of Head Constable Adeel Hussain.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah confirmed that “two terrorists” were killed in the blast.

“The vehicle used in the blast was registered in Chakwal. The car entered Islamabad from Rawalpindi […] it was packed with explosives and headed for a high-value target in the capital,” he said.

Sanaullah added that had the car reached its target, it would have caused heavy losses.

The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement released on Friday.