Tag: bannu

  • Achakzai says protestors fired at army in Bannu incident

    Achakzai says protestors fired at army in Bannu incident

    The chairman of Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and ally of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Mahmood Khan Achakzai, recently appeared on a Dawn News programme, expressing solidarity with army in the recent Bannu protests.

    “DG ISPR’s press conference on the Bannu issue was completely correct. People within the protestors opened fire, and rumours were spread that Army killed scores of innocent people,” stated the key ally of PTI.

    Achakzai opined that according to their own investigation, it was found that some people amongst the protestors opened fire, due to which “one person got killed.”

    He also said, “My disagreement with the army is due to our difference of understanding in their constitutional role and I can say, without a doubt, the army did not fire at the protestors. In fact, they pelted stones at the Army.”

  • TTP chief’s intercepted call reveals sinister plan to attack govt schools, hospitals

    TTP chief’s intercepted call reveals sinister plan to attack govt schools, hospitals

    A call made by Noor Wali Mehsud, the head of the proscribed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has revealed a sinister plot by the terrorist organisation to attack government schools and hospitals in Pakistan.

    Talking to his henchmen Ahmad Hussain Mehsud alias Ghat Haji, and Saqib Gandapur, Noor says that one method of creating instability in Pakistan is to target government schools or hospitals with bombings without claiming responsibility for them.

    The second option, he says, involves destroying the homes of police officers and soldiers.

    He then asks the two men to keep the conversation confidential that no one should be able to trace the attacks back to TTP.

  • Prolonged load shedding continues across country in extreme heat

    Prolonged load shedding continues across country in extreme heat

    With record breaking temperatures, hours of load shedding of electricity have caused inconvenience for people in a number of cities across Pakistan.

    In many areas of Hyderabad, the duration of load shedding has reached up to 12 hours.

    Spokesperson of HESCO said that load shedding is happening on the basis of line losses. He also claims that load shedding is not interrupting examination hours.

    Meanwhile, urban areas of Sukkur are experiencing six to eight hours of load shedding while Jacobabad, Shikarpur and Kashmore undergoing 12 to 14 hours.

    Thatta city and its surroundings are subjected to 14 to 16 hours load shedding, six hours in Kamalia city, and eight hours in rural areas.

    Wahari stands at four to six hours of load shedding while 10 hours in rural areas.

    More than 10 hours of load shedding is taking place in Mingora city, more than 16 hours in suburban areas, while Bannu is experiencing 18 to 20 hours of load shedding.

    Citizens say that business activities and life are being affected due to load shedding.

  • Girls’ school in Bannu set on fire by terrorists

    Girls’ school in Bannu set on fire by terrorists

    A girls’ school in district Bannu’s Meryan Tehsil was set on fire on Friday night in what is being perceived as a terrorist attack amid an increase in militancy in the tribal region.

    The terrorists targeted the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Kotka Mumbati Barakzai, inflicting significant damage on the building. The school’s science lab was turned to ashes.

    The miscreants stole solar panels and other items and vandalised the school’s boundary wall as well. They also wrote threatening messages near the main gate, warning of additional attacks if the school tried to resume classes.

    Police officials collected evidence from the site, kicking off an investigation into the terror act, District Police Officer Iftikhar Khan told Geo News.

    Schools in the district are currently closed due to the winter break. Meanwhile, the incident marks the first instance of a school being set on fire in Bannu following the upswing in militant attacks which came after the end of the ceasefire with the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan last year.

    However, this is not the first time this year that a girls’ school has been targeted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In May 2023, two girls’ schools were blown up by terrorists in the North Waziristan district.

    The attack came after Islamabad initiated a new offensive against terrorists in response to a surge in attacks, including a destructive mosque bombing that claimed over 100 lives in February this year.

    Historically, the TTP extremists have prohibited female education in areas that came under their control in the province.

    But the country has, regardless, seen a return of terrorism in the form of targeted attacks by terrorists, particularly since late 2022. This year, however, the terror attacks witnessed a surge in militancy, particularly suicide attacks that reached the highest level since 2014.

  • Bannu professor forced to apologise publicly for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution

    Bannu professor forced to apologise publicly for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution

    Professor Sher Ali from Bannu was forced to apologize publicly by signing an affidavit for teaching Darwin’s Theory of Evolution and organizing a seminar on women’s rights in Islam.

    A tweet from X user Khurram Zakir has brought the tragic state of intolerance to the spotlight.

    The dispute started with Professor Sher Ali organizing a seminar on the topic of Women’s Rights in Islam and the Constitution. It was arranged in response to the growing public displeasure against women leaving their homes without adhering to the Islamic dress code. The professor triggered religious circles who accused him of deviating from the teachings of Islam.

    Although Darwin’s Evolution theory is part of the curriculum set by the board of education, the professor had to bear the brunt of fulfilling his duty and teaching about it. The incident has raised concerns about the inconducive space for rational discourse even in an academic setting.

  • US embassy issues warning to American staff based in Pakistan of a possible attack

    The embassy of the United States of America (USA) has warned its Islamabad-based staff of a possible attack on the Marriott Hotel and “prohibited” them from visiting the hotel during the Christmas holidays.

    On Sunday, the embassy issued a security alert stating: “The US government is aware of information that unknown individuals are possibly plotting to attack Americans at the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad sometime during the holidays. Effective immediately, the embassy in Islamabad is prohibiting all American staff from visiting the hotel.”

    The US also urged its staff to refrain from non-essential travel in Islamabad during the holiday season.

    Meanwhile, the Islamabad police raised security levels to high alert in the capital. The police said that checking was increased at all entry and exit points, requesting residents to cooperate with law enforcement agencies.

    The capital administration has also put a ban on all types of gatherings for two weeks and declared a high alert in the city for 48 hours.

    The American embassy directive followed a suicide bombing in I-8, a residential area of Islamabad on Friday, which killed a police officer and wounded 10 people.

    Pakistan is facing a resurgence of terrorism since the militant Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off its ceasefire with the government in late November.

    Seven separate blasts ripped through Balochistan on December 25 killing six soldiers and injuring dozens of others.

    Last week, TTP militants seized control of the Counter-Terrorism Department’s (CTD) compound in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and held hostages inside the compound for almost two days.

  • Bannu hostage situation: Forces kill the terrorists

    Security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) have managed to free the hostages being held by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) inside the Counter-Terrorism Department’s (CTD) compound in Bannu.

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif confirmed that “all the terrorists” have been killed.

    During the operation, an exchange of fire left several security men injured.

    The defence minister said that a unit of the army’s Special Service Group (SSG) carried out the operation, in which 10-15 of its commandos were injured while two were martyred.

    Earlier in the day, an operation had been launched to free the hostages held by the militants.

    Hospitals in the vicinity have been put on high alert and mobile services have also been blocked in the area.

    What happened in Bannu?

    On Sunday, militants detained at a facility run by KP police’s CTD in on Sunday took over the department, held interrogators hostage and demanded safe evacuation to Afghanistan.

    After taking over, the militants shot at security personnel inside the facility, injuring a policeman and a soldier. The outlawed TTP claimed responsibility for the incident.

    According to news reports, the militants managed to break out of lockup and held security personnel hostage. After the incident, police and security forces rushed to the spot but failed to free the hostages.

    Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, Special Assistant to KP Chief Minister, said that talks between Pakistani officials and the leadership of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are underway in Afghanistan, however, there is no breakthrough as yet.

    He also confirmed that a security official was killed in the Bannu compound by the militants and said that the government had engaged the militants to avoid casualties.

    The area where CTD is located has been sealed and residents have been asked to stay indoors. Internet services have been suspended in the city.

    Moreover, roads leading to and from Bannu Cantonment have been blocked.

  • ‘Ready to assist Pakistan with TTP threats’: US urges militants to release hostages

    ‘Ready to assist Pakistan with TTP threats’: US urges militants to release hostages

    The United States (US) has offered to help Pakistan in dealing with the threats posed by militant outfits.

    “Well, first, we are aware of the ongoing situation in Pakistan. We’ve been closely following reports that militants have seized control of the counterterrorism centre in Bannu. We offer our deepest sympathies to those injured,” said State Department Spokesperson Ned Price.

    Last week at least four police personnel were martyred and as many others wounded in an overnight terrorist attack on the Bargai police station of Lakki Marwat. Terrorists launched an armed assault on the police station from two sides. A fierce exchange of fire took place between the police and the outlaws, leaving four police officers dead and as many injured.

    On Sunday, militants detained at a facility run by Khyber Pakhtun­khwa police’s Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Bannu took over the department, held interrogators hostage, demanding a safe evacuation to Afghanistan. The outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have claimed responsibility for the incident.

    “The government of Pakistan is a partner when it comes to these shared concerns, including the challenge of terrorist groups inside Afghanistan… terrorist groups along the Afghan-Pakistan border… we stand ready to assist, whether with this unfolding situation or other situations,” said Price.

    “We offer our deepest sympathies to those injured. We urge those responsible to cease all acts of violence, release the hostages and end the seizure of the counterterrorism centre,” he said.

    US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price made these remarks at a news briefing, hours after Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari reached Washington for talks with US officials.

  • 15-month-old in NWA: Pakistan reports first polio case in 15 months

    The first wild poliovirus case was detected in a 15-month-old baby boy from North Waziristan, Pakistan. It is the third case to have been reported worldwide during the ongoing year 2022.

    The National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad has confirmed the type-1 wild poliovirus (WPV1) in a toddler from North Waziristan. The NIH polio eradication laboratory also confirmed another case from the Bannu district in KP, which was detected in the environmental samples collected on April 5. Both viruses detected in the samples are closely related to each other.

    Pakistan reported the polio case in the country 15 months after the previous poliovirus case was reported on January 28, last year from the Killa Abdullah area of Balochistan.

    Secretary Health Aamir Ashraf said, “This is, of course, a tragedy for the child and his family and it is also very unfortunate both for Pakistan and polio eradication efforts all over the world. We are disappointed but not deterred.” He further added, “The case has appeared in Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) where the poliovirus was detected in the environment late last year and where an emergency action plan is already being implemented.”

    According to Anti-Polio Programme, Southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) has badly been affected by the poliovirus after detection from the environmental samples in the last quarter of 2021. The samples of the virus were found in Dera Ismail Khan and Bannu divisions last year.

    The Health Secretary also revealed that teams have deployed to conduct detailed interrogation into the case detected in North Waziristan. The emergency immunization campaigns are continued to prevent further outbreaks of poliovirus in the country.

    Talking about the issue, National Emergency and Operations Centre (NEOC) Coordinator Dr Shahzad Baig said, “To address the challenges in Southern KP, the Pakistani government and its global partners have already initiated an emergency action plan to address the challenges in this part of the province.”

    The province had reported as many as 22 cases of poliovirus in 2020. However, there was no wild-type virus among the detected case in KP province.

  • 54 people caught illegally travelling in a truck

    54 people were caught as they were trying to illegally travel from Karachi to Mohmand in a dumper truck on Monday.

    “The dumper was stopped near the Yakagand Gate and these people were found sitting inside,” said Assistant Commissioner Qaiser.

    As per reports, the driver had taken huge amounts from them for the journey.

    The police have taken them into custody. They have been sent to a quarantine center after taking their coronavirus tests. 40 people were from Mohmand and the rest were from Bajaur.

    The government has banned inter-city and inter-province travel to control the spread of coronavirus after the cases increased in the country.