PESHAWAR - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Additional Inspector-General of Police Muhammad Ashraf Noor was martyred along with his bodyguard and six other policemen were injured, when a suicide bomber rammed his motorbike into a vehicle carrying the cops near Zarghoni Mosque in the posh Hayatabad area here Friday morning.

Police and eyewitness said the senior cop was on his way to Peshawar Police Lines at 9am, when the tragic incident happened.

It is the latest terror attack since January 2017 when an FC convoy was attacked on Peshawar-Charsadda Road.

Soon after the incident, the Rescue-1122 and Edhi vans rushed to the site and rescued the injured persons from the damaged vehicle, which had caught fire after the blast. The injured were shifted to Hayatabad Medical Complex where they were provided emergency medical treatment.

After the blast, a large contingent of police rushed to the site and high alert was declared across the city to arrest the responsible elements. Police collected the body parts of the suicide bomber to run DNA test.

Chief Capital Police Officer Tahir Khan said about 20-kg explosive material was used in the suicide attack. Khan said that the target of the attack was AIG (Headquarters) Muhammad Ashraf Noor. He said Noor died at the scene, and that one of his five guards later died in the hospital.

Defunct militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement issued to media persons and termed it revenge for the killing of “their colleagues”.

There were conflicting reports regarding the casualties as police said that besides Ashraf Noor no other persons were martyred, while the rescue sources said that two bodies were shifted to hospital after the attack.

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa IGP Salahuddin Mehsud, while expressing deep concern over the incident, told media persons that Ashraf Noor was an honest and dedicated officer and after his death the KP police was deprived of one of the bravest and honest officers.

He said the terrorists by carrying out such attacks could not deter their courage against terrorism, and the mission would continue till complete restoration of peace.

Ashraf Noor son of Haji Ali Muhammad was born in Gilgit-Baltistan in 1963. After graduating in MSc Agriculture, he joined the Police Service of Pakistan in 1989, and started his career as the SDPO Kahuta in 1983, later he was posted as SP (traffic) and SP (headquarters), Abbottabad.

In 1997, he was posted as DPO Chitral, and in 1999 he also remained DPO Kohistan.

In 2003 and 2004, he was posted SP (investigation) Abbottabad. In 2007, he was posted DIG (inquiry and inspection), while in 2008, he was posted as DIG (Investigation) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

In 2009, he was posted DIG Special Branch, in 2014 commandant Police Training College Hangu and Commandant FC in 2016.

In March 2017, he was posted as additional IGP elite force KP, while in April he was posted IGP (headquarters) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The funeral prayers of AIF Ashraf Noor were offered in Peshawar Police Line, where Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa governor, Chief Minister, IG Police corps commander and other high-ranking officers of the police, were in attendance.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi strongly condemned the murder. “Our resolve to eradicate the menace of terrorism cannot be shaken,” he said in a statement.

Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa paid rich tribute to AIG Ashraf Noor. ISPR tweeted, “Salute to [the] supreme sacrifice of our police comrade AIG Noor. Our determination remains undeterred against threats to our motherland”.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan in his message condemned the terrorist attack. He said that such attacks could not weaken the resolve of the KP police in the war against terror.

The body of the martyred police officer, Ashraf Noor was shifted to Skardu by a helicopter and sent to his ancestral graveyard for burial. A large number of people attended the funeral prayers of Shaheed Ashraf Noor.

The slain police officer belonged to Sermik, an area 40 kilometres away from Skardu. He is survived by two widows and eight children.

 

 

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