Three Federal Constabulary (FC) personnel were martyred as they foiled an attempted suicide bombing at their headquarters in Peshawar’s Saddar area on Monday morning, with all three militants involved in attack perishing.
The attack occurred around 8 a.m. Video footage shows one terrorist approaching the gate of the FC headquarters and detonating himself, followed by two other terrorists trying to enter the compound. “Initially, three militants tried to attack the headquarters. One terrorist blew himself up at the gate, while two others tried to enter the premises but were gunned down by FC personnel,” Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Mian Saeed Ahmad told reporters at the site.
He confirmed that three FC men were martyred and two others injured while neutralizing the attackers. He said a clearance operation was underway. “The FC soldiers foiled the terrorist plot due to their alertness,” he said, emphasizing that no terrorists had entered the building.
Following the attack, authorities declared an emergency at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital and the Khyber Teaching Hospital. Spokespersons of the hospitals said they had received 12 injured.
In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the terrorist attack and lauded security forces for their “timely action.” Praying for the speedy recovery of the injured, he reiterated the government’s commitment to eradicating terrorism, vowing to crush any terrorist plots against Pakistan.
President Asif Ali Zardari also condemned the attack, offering condolences to the families of the martyrs. In a statement, he asserted that “externally backed Fitna-al-Khawarij cannot weaken Pakistan’s unity, resilience or resolve.”
Paying tribute to the martyrs, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi stressed that such attacks cannot weaken morale. “Their sacrifice will not go in vain,” he said, vowing to bring the terrorists to justice and continuing the war against terrorism, with a “stronger resolve.” He said the provincial government stood with police and law enforcement agencies, maintaining “every resource available will be utilized to eliminate terrorism.”
Pakistan is in the midst of a terror resurgence that commenced with the 2021 return to power of the Afghan Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. In recent weeks, amidst mounting tensions between Islamabad and Kabul, senior officials of the Taliban regime have warned they are “preparing” suicide bombers to deploy in Pakistan. No group has, as yet, confirmed responsibility for Monday morning’s bombing.