New Delhi: Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province witnessed a deadly attack on Saturday after an explosives-packed vehicle was used to target a police checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan, leaving 12 people dead and 35 injured. The explosion tore through the Aman Mela checkpost in the Darazinda area and also damaged a nearby house.
Dawn, citing Dera Ismail Khan regional police officer, Ghulam Mubashir Maken, said an initial assessment confirmed the casualties and that no law enforcement or security personnel were among those killed. The deceased included a customs official and civilians, with nine men, two women and a minor among the victims.
Meanwhile, Al Jazeera, citing police chief Safdar Baloch, reported that most of those killed and wounded were security personnel and passersby. The injured included police officers, customs personnel and two civilians.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far. Al Jazeera reported that suspicion had fallen on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned militant group that has carried out repeated attacks in northwestern Pakistan.
The blast occurred near Aman Mela in the Darazinda area, according to Rescue 1122. Rescue teams from the Darazinda station reached the scene and immediately began relief operations, providing medical assistance to the injured and taking them to hospital. More than 25 rescue personnel, six ambulances and a fire vehicle took part in the relief operation. Four additional ambulances with staff were dispatched from Dera Ismail Khan to assist with evacuating the injured.
The explosion destroyed a large section of the checkpoint and completely demolished an adjoining house. Heavy firing was also reported after the blast, while a bomb disposal team was sent to the site to examine the scene and determine the nature of the explosion.
The Aman Mela checkpoint is located along the Dera Ismail Khan-Quetta Road near Mughal Kot and Darazinda, close to the boundary between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. Police officials reached the site soon after the explosion and supervised the rescue operation, while mobile phone services were reportedly unavailable in the area.
Pakistan’s president, Asif Ali Zardari, condemned the bombing and expressed grief over the loss of life. In a post on X, Zardari said targeting civilians and law enforcement personnel is condemnable, prayed for the recovery of those injured and directed authorities to ensure they receive the best possible medical treatment.
Zardari also called for stronger action against groups he referred to as “Fitna al-Hindustan” and “Fitna al-Khawarij”, alleging that they operate with external support. The terms are used by Pakistani authorities for militant groups, while the allegation of external backing was made by Zardari.
The interior minister of Pakistan, Mohsin Naqvi, separately condemned what his ministry described as a suicide attack on the anti-smuggling Aman Mela police checkpost. He expressed condolences to the families of those killed and said Pakistan remained committed to combating terrorism.
The latest attack comes amid renewed tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Al Jazeera reported that it followed fighting along the two countries’ southwestern border, in which Pakistan said at least 13 Afghan Taliban fighters were killed, as well as Pakistani strikes on alleged militant hideouts inside Afghanistan.
The renewed hostilities have added pressure on mediation efforts by China, Türkiye, Qatar and Saudi Arabia aimed at reducing tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Security incidents involving the Pakistani Taliban have also continued in Dera Ismail Khan this month.
The attack also comes as political tensions remain high in Pakistan, with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) postponing its planned long march towards Islamabad from September 27 to October 4. The decision was announced after a meeting of the party’s political committee, according to RNA Media.
Security forces in Pakistan have come under repeated attack in recent months, with checkpoints, convoys and personnel in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan facing near-continuous bombings and shootings blamed largely on the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Baloch separatist groups.