Profit 15 COPS AMONG 21 MARTYRED IN KOHAT POLICE LINES BLAST; OVER 100 INJURED In partnership with
Saturday, 19 September, 2026 | 6 Rabius Sani, 1448
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VBIED BLAST DURING FRIDAY PRAYERS FOLLOWED BY TERRORIST ASSAULT ON POLICE COMPOUND
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KOHAT/PESHAWAR
SALEEM JADOON
T least 21 people, including 15 police officials, were martyred on Friday when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) detonated near a mosque inside Kohat Police Lines, followed by a militant assault on the compound, senior police and district health officials said. District Health Officer Dr Nasir Hassan Afridi confirmed the death toll and said more than 80 people were injured, including three in critical condition. According to a police statement, the blast occurred at around 1:20pm during Friday prayers at a mosque in the Police Lines on Hangu Road. The explosion was followed
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SIX ATTACKERS, INCLUDING SUICIDE BOMBER, KILLED; CLEARANCE OPERATION REACHES FINAL STAGES: POLICE
by an attack involving around five to seven terrorists who stormed the compound and targeted police facilities. SP Traffic Akbar Shinwari and Dr Israel Orakzai, head of the children’s department at DHQ KDA Kohat, were among those martyred, officials said. The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said its Additional Inspector General reached the site as an exchange of fire between security personnel and the attackers continued. The AIG himself entered the compound to participate in and lead the operation, it added. According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police (IGP) Zulfiqar Hameed and police statements, the attack began when a VBIED detonated at the boundary wall near the mosque.
At least seven attackers then breached the compound and moved towards the CTD and Special Branch buildings. Six attackers, including a suicide bomber, were killed by law-enforcement personnel, according to police. At least one attacker was subsequently cornered, prompting police to launch a clearance operation. At around 3:30pm, police said the operation was “in its final stages”. “The operation will continue until the complete elimination of Fitna-ul-Khawarij,” the IG was quoted as saying, adding that the police’s morale remained high. Fitna al-Khawarij is a term used by the state for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
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MORE THAN 100 INJURED REPORTED AT TWO KOHAT HOSPITALS, INCLUDING 73 POLICE PERSONNEL
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Naqvi warns PTI march organisers over ‘possible loss of life’ IHC rules against blocking roads ISLAMABAD
STAFF REPORT
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has warned that organisers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s planned Islamabad march would be held responsible for any loss of life if protesters attempt to enter the federal capital on September 27. His remarks came shortly after the Islamabad High Court ruled that no political party has a lawful right to occupy public roads, highways or buildings during protests. Naqvi said the court’s detailed verdict left no room for an attempt to force entry into Islamabad and warned that anyone violating the ruling could
face contempt proceedings. He said provincial governments had also been informed of the decision and directed to prevent protesters from entering the capital. The interior minister drew a distinction between peaceful political activity and groups entering Islamabad in an armed or confrontational manner. He said political parties were free to stage peaceful protests in their respective cities and provinces, but the government would not allow Islamabad to be shut down or attacked in the name of protest. Naqvi added that the federal government had completed preparations, in coordination with provincial authorities, to prevent groups from entering the capital.
He urged senior opposition leaders to reconsider the decision to proceed with the march and said PTI should reassess the purpose and possible consequences of the planned protest. His comments came as PTI continued preparations for its September 27 long march, which party leaders have linked to demands concerning former prime minister Imran Khan. Naqvi also referred to the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and argued that greater attention should be given to counterterrorism efforts rather than political mobilisation. The warning followed a deadly attack at Kohat Police Lines, where at least 16 people, including five police officials, were killed and more than 50 others injured.
during PTI’s planned Islamabad march
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has ruled that no political party, leader, provincial government or public office holder has the legal right to occupy public roads, highways, interchanges, toll plazas or buildings during protests. The ruling came in a detailed verdict on a petition challenging Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s planned long march to Islamabad on September 27. A three-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar issued the 37-page judgment. The court said any activity that obstructs citizens’ movement, access to hospitals and educational institutions, or their ability to conduct business or pursue a profession would amount to a violation of fundamental rights. STAFF REPORT
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