BANNU: A police inspector was killed and another injured when Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) activists allegedly opened fire on a raiding police team here on Thursday.

Regional Police Officer Abdullah Khan and District Police Officer Yasir Afridi said at a press conference that Bannu and Naurang police personnel had raided a house in Bannu Township after getting information that two PTM activists Haneefullah Wazir and Shaheenullah wanted by police in different cases were hiding there.

They said police personnel besieged the house and asked the suspects to surrender but they did not give any response. When the personnel tried to enter the house, the PTM activists opened fire on them. As a result, Inspector Zaheer and Constable Shakirullah were injured and shifted to a hospital, where the former succumbed to his injuries.

The two senior officers said the police had arrested Haneefullah, Shaheenullha and their facilitator Faheemullah, the owner of the house, and seized two pistols from their possession. They said the accused were wanted by Bannu and Lakki Marwat police in different cases, including murder and attempt to murder under sections 324, 353, 34 7 of the ATA, 15AA, etc.

The officers said a ban had been imposed on public gatherings and delivering provocative speeches against state institutions under Section 144 in Bannu Division.

Published in Dawn, July 5th, 2019