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SUICIDE BLAST KILLS FIVE, INJURES 10 AT HOUSE OF DI KHAN PEACE COMMITTEE HEAD
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Saturday, 24 January, 2026 | 4 Sha’ban, 1447
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RESCUERS AND POLICE SAY ATTACK OCCURRED DURING WEDDING AT NOOR ALAM MEHSUD’S RESIDENCE NEAR QURESHI MOR
KP CM SOHAIL AFRIDI CONDEMNS BLAST, ORDERS BEST MEDICAL CARE FOR INJURED AND PROBE INTO ATTACK
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DERA ISMAIL KHAN
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DISTRICT POLICE OFFICER CONFIRMS REMAINS OF SUICIDE BOMBER RECOVERED, EMERGENCY IMPOSED IN DHQ HOSPITAL KP GOVERNOR FAISAL KUNDI EMPHASIZES IMMEDIATE RELIEF AND SUPPORT FOR VICTIMS
Saleem Jadoon
T least five people were killed and 10 others injured in a suicide attack targeting the residence of a local peace committee head near Qureshi Mor in Dera Ismail Khan on Friday night, police and rescue officials confirmed. In a statement, spokesperson for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rescue 1122, Bilal Ahmed Faizi, said five bodies and 10 injured had been shifted to hospital. He added that rescue teams responded immediately to reports of a suspected blast, deploying seven ambulances, a fire vehicle, and a disaster response vehicle, with operations still ongoing. Police officials said the attack targeted the house of Noor Alam Mehsud, head of a local Aman Committee, during a wedding ceremony. DI Khan District Police Officer (DPO) Sahibzada Sajjad Ahmed told media that the blast occurred while several peace committee members and guests were present. “The explosion was a suicide blast. The injured are being moved to hospital for treatment, while the remains of the attacker have been recovered,” he added. An emergency has been imposed at the District Headquarter Hospital DI Khan. Regional Police Officer Syed Ashfaq Anwar warned that the casualty toll
could rise due to the number of attendees at the event. KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi strongly condemned the blast, describing it as deeply regrettable. He sought a detailed report from the provincial police chief and directed that injured victims receive the best possible medical care. He also instructed security agencies to carry out immediate investigations to identify those responsible and expressed solidarity with the families of the victims. KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also requested a detailed report, while directing that all possible medical assis-
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tance be provided to the injured. Expressing grief over the loss of lives, he emphasised the need for immediate relief and support for victims and their families. This is not the first time Mehsud has been targeted. Earlier this month, armed assailants killed four members of a peace committee in Bannu district. In November 2025, seven people were killed in an attack on a peace committee office, including a former militant who had surrendered to the state. In 2022, two suicide bombers attempted to attack Mehsud at his DI Khan office but were killed outside the
premises, foiled by peace committee volunteers. The district has witnessed a spate of violence, including last month when three police officers were killed in a bomb attack targeting a police vehicle. In November 2025, six policemen, including trainees, were martyred while 12 others and a civilian were injured in a terrorist attack on the Police Training School. Dera Ismail Khan has seen 111 terror attacks in five years, claiming 71 police lives and injuring 100 others. Between 2020 and 2025, attacks fluctuated: 2020: 6 attacks, 4 police killed, 2 injured; 2021: 13 attacks, 3 killed, 4 injured; 2022: 24 attacks, 19 killed, 27 injured; 2023: 39 attacks, 7 killed, 27 injured; 2024: 17 attacks, casualties remained high and 2025 (as of Dec): 12 attacks, 15 killed, 16 injured. The Saraiki-speaking district of five tehsils borders Dera Ghazi Khan, Balochistan’s Zhob district, and South Waziristan. Following the September 11, 2001 attacks, Dera Ismail Khan emerged as one of the country’s hardesthit areas by terrorism. Last year, Pakistan saw a 25% surge in overall violence, recording at least 3,187 fatalities and 1,981 injuries among civilians, security personnel, and criminals, according to the Centre for Research and Security Studies.
Imaan Mazari, husband sent to jail on judicial remand after arrest near IHC ISLAMABAD
Staff CorreSpondent
An anti-terrorism court on Friday sent activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha to jail on judicial remand, hours after their arrest in connection with a protest outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The case pertains to allegations of protesting outside the IHC and manhandling the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) president. The proceedings were conducted under strict security, with lawyers and media barred from the courtroom. The hearing was presided over by ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain. Prior to their arrest, the couple had spent three consecutive nights at the office of IHCBA President Syed Wajid Ali Gilani, citing fears of arrest. Their detention triggered an immediate backlash from lawyers’ bodies, which announced a complete strike in protest. Mazari and Chattha were due to appear before a trial court on Friday in a separate case related to controversial social media posts, in which their bail had been cancelled earlier this month and arrest warrants issued. According to IHCBA officials, the couple — accompanied by the bar president — first attempted to surrender before IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar, but were informed he was not present. They later left for the district courts in an IHCBA vehicle. Police vehicles, already deployed outside the IHC for three days, followed the convoy. Near the Serena Hotel underpass, police intercepted the vehicle, arrested the couple and shifted them to an undisclosed location. IHCBA members alleged that despite assurances of safe passage, police forcibly stopped the vehicle, assaulted lawyers, broke car windows and manhandled Mazari during the arrest. Concerns were also raised over her safety in custody. IHCBA Secretary Manzoor Ahmed Jajja resigned in protest, saying he had been assured the couple would not be arrested before surrendering to the trial court. He confirmed submitting his resignation to the Islamabad Bar Council. Meanwhile, Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Afzal Majoka adjourned the social media posts case due to the accused’s absence, warning that their right to cross-examination could be closed if they failed to appear by Saturday afternoon. Earlier, the IHC had declared the trial court’s arrest orders null and void and granted the couple four days to crossexamine prosecution witnesses, while clarifying that protection would lapse if they failed to appear.