BAJAUR: A police constable was found dead on Friday after being abducted by unidentified armed men in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, police officials confirmed, in an incident that has renewed concerns about security in the region.
According to authorities, the 50-year-old constable was kidnapped on Thursday in the Asil Targaoo area of Barang tehsil while he was travelling to his duty station in Sindh Gara. Local residents alerted police on Friday morning after discovering his body on a পাহाڑی area along the Bajaur-Mohmand border.
A police team, accompanied by locals, recovered the body and shifted it to a nearby hospital for postmortem examination. Officials said the medical report confirmed that the constable had been subjected to severe torture, with multiple injuries and signs of violence visible on his body.
District police spokesperson Israr Khan confirmed the incident, stating that funeral prayers were held with full official honours and attended by senior police officials and a large number of residents. The body was later transported to his hometown for burial.
Police have registered a case against unidentified assailants and launched a formal investigation to determine those responsible and establish the motive behind the killing. So far, no group has claimed responsibility.
The incident has shocked local residents, particularly as Barang tehsil had been regarded as one of the comparatively peaceful areas of the district.
The killing comes amid a broader resurgence of militancy in Pakistan following the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly called on Afghan authorities to act against militant groups allegedly operating from Afghan territory, especially those linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Bajaur has witnessed several violent incidents in recent weeks. On Thursday evening, two children lost their lives and four others were injured during an exchange of fire between security forces and militants. Earlier, two individuals, including a social activist, were killed in separate attacks by unidentified assailants. Last month, cross-border mortar shelling reportedly claimed the lives of two children and a woman in Kitkot village, further highlighting the fragile security situation in the district.
