Kohat: 10 policemen killed in Gumbat attack laid to rest

KOHAT: A joint funeral prayer was offered on Wednesday night at 10:30pm for all 10 policemen martyred in a terrorist attack in Khushal Garh, in the Gumbat tehsil of Kohat, with full state honours at the Signal Training Centre (STC) ground in Kohat Cantonment.

The funeral prayer was attended in large numbers by Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Faisal Karim Kundi, Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed, Kohat Division Commissioner Parvez Sabit Khel, Additional IG CTD, Regional Police Officer Kohat Region Shakir Hussain Dawar, DPO Kohat Rai Mazhar Iqbal, police and military officials, police officers and personnel, the bereaved families of the martyrs, local elders, and people from various walks of life.

On this occasion, the Governor of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other senior officials placed floral wreaths on the bodies of the martyrs and paid tribute to them. The atmosphere during the funeral prayer was sombre, while the families and relatives of the martyrs appeared overcome with grief.

Background to the attack

On Wednesday, a police team set out on a operation, acting on instructions from senior officials, against illegal gold mining along the bank of the River Indus in Khushal Garh, when terrorists lying in wait launched a sudden attack on the police party.

In the attack, DSP Gumbat Haider Zaman and ASI Mukhtar Khan of Gumbat Police Station, along with eight other policemen, were martyred, while 12 personnel were injured.

The martyrs include DSP Haider Zaman (resident of Talash, Dir), ASI Mukhtar Khan (resident of Shakardara, Kohat), and constables Yasir, Azmat, Mudassir, Halim Akbar, Shams-ud-Din, Muhammad Shiraz, Adnan and Ibrahim. Six of the martyred personnel are reported to be from Darra Adam Khel, and two from various areas of Kohat.

It may be noted that discrepancies between the initial figures and martyr identities released by police and the details provided later created confusion over the final number of martyrs and their names. However, according to details released subsequently, the final number of policemen martyred in the tragedy has been given as 10.