A Bajaur terrorist attack on a police post in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district left one police officer martyred, officials said on Friday. The assault targeted the Silai Pati post in remote Barang tehsil, which borders Malakand district, late on Thursday night.
Attack on the Silai Pati post
Mansoor Khan, a spokesperson for the district police, said a group of Fitna al-Khawarij militants struck the post. Fitna al-Khawarij is the label the state uses for terrorists linked to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. He said personnel at the post fought back and that the slain officer was martyred after putting up resistance.
According to the spokesperson, the attackers withdrew after an effective response by officers stationed there. No organisation has claimed responsibility for the Bajaur terrorist attack.
Funeral in Khar and security curbs
Funeral prayers for the martyred officer were offered at the Police Lines in Khar. Deputy Commissioner Adnan Farid Afridi, District Police Officer Khan Zeb Mohmand and elders from the area attended, along with a large number of police officials and political and social activists. The body was then taken to the officer’s native area in Barang tehsil for burial.
On Thursday, the Bajaur district administration banned pillion riding — carrying a passenger on a motorcycle — for 10 days by invoking Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a public-order power used for temporary restrictions. The notification cited intelligence and police assessments of the security situation. Authorities had earlier imposed a 15-day pillion-riding ban in Bajaur on September 5 for the same reason.
KP has faced repeated militant violence. The Centre for Research and Security Studies reported an 83 per cent rise in violence-linked fatalities nationwide in the third quarter of 2026, with Balochistan and KP together accounting for 98 per cent of those deaths — 829 in Balochistan and 556 in KP.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- September 5: Bajaur authorities impose a 15-day ban on pillion riding, citing the security situation.
- Thursday: The district administration announces a fresh 10-day pillion-riding ban under Section 144, based on intelligence and police reports.
- Late Thursday night: Militants attack the Silai Pati police post in Barang tehsil; one officer is martyred and the attackers flee after police return fire.
- Friday: District police confirm the Bajaur terrorist attack; funeral prayers are held at the Police Lines in Khar before burial in Barang.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Bajaur ke Barang tehsil mein Silai Pati police chowki par raat ko dehshat gardon ne hamla kiya. Ek police wala is jharrp mein shaheed ho gaya, aur hamla aawar bhaag gaye. Logon ke liye yeh baat ahem hai ke ilaqe mein security tight hai aur 10 din ke liye motorcycle par peechhe sawari (pillion) ban hai.
