Militants have Pakistan's police in their crosshairs 

A police officer looks outside the window of a gate at Achini's outpost, in the outskirts of Peshawar, Pakistan, February 9, 2023. (Photo courtesy: REUTERS)
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Updated 27 February 2023
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Militants have Pakistan's police in their crosshairs 

  • Killings of policemen in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa rose to 119 last year, from 54 in 2021 and 21 in 2020
  • Some 102 have been slain already this year, most in a mosque bombing but some in other attacks

BARA, Pakistan: Atop a police outpost in northwest Pakistan, Faizanullah Khan stands behind a stack of sandbags and peers through the sight of an anti-aircraft gun, scanning the terrain along the unofficial boundary with the country's restive former tribal areas. 

On this cold and rainy February morning, he was looking not for aircraft but for fighters behind attacks against his force, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provincial police. 

It was daytime, so he could relax a bit, said Khan, an assistant sub-inspector, as he sat down on a traditional woven bed. But night was a different story, he said, pointing to pock marks left by bullets fired at the outpost, named Manzoor Shaheed, or Manzoor the Martyr, after a colleague felled by insurgents years ago. 

The outpost is one of dozens that provide defence against militants waging a fresh assault on Pakistan's police from hideouts in the border region adjoining Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. The area, part of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, is a hotbed for fighters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organisation of militant groups.

The threat the insurgency poses to nuclear-armed Pakistan was illustrated last month when the bombing of a mosque in Peshawar killed more than 80 police personnel. A faction of the TTP, Jamat-ul-Ahrar, claimed responsibility. 

Visiting northwest Pakistan this month, Reuters gained access to police outposts and spoke to more than a dozen people, including senior police officials, many of whom described how the force is suffering increasing losses as it bears the brunt of insurgent attacks while contending with resourcing and logistical constraints. 

Pakistani officials acknowledge these challenges but say they are trying to improve the force's capability amid adverse economic circumstances. 




A police officer rappels off a building during a practice session at the Elite Police Training Centre in Nowshera, Pakistan, February 10, 2023. (Photo courtesy: REUTERS)

'Stopped their way' 

Police here have fought militants for years -- more than 2,100 personnel have been killed and 7,000 injured since 2001 -- but never have they been the focus of militants' operations as they are today. 

"We've stopped their way to Peshawar," assistant sub-inspector Jameel Shah of Sarband station, which controls the Manzoor Shaheed outpost, said of the militants. 

Sarband and its eight outposts have suffered four major attacks in recent months and faced sniper fire with unprecedented frequency, according to police based there. 

Killings of police in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa rose to 119 last year, from 54 in 2021 and 21 in 2020. Some 102 have been slain already this year, most in the mosque bombing but some in other attacks. Elsewhere, militants stormed a police office in Karachi on Feb. 17, killing four before security forces retook the premises and killed three assailants. 

The TTP, known as the Pakistani Taliban, pledges allegiance to the Afghan Taliban but is not directly a part of the group that rules in Kabul. Its stated aim is to impose Islamic religious law in Pakistan. 

A TTP spokesman, Muhammad Khurasani, told Reuters its main target was Pakistan's military, but the police were standing in the way. 

"The police have been told many times not to obstruct our way, and instead of paying heed to this the police have started martyring our comrades," he said. "This is why we are targeting them." 

The military has conducted operations alongside the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police and faced TTP attacks, with one soldier confirmed dead in the province this year, according to data released by the military's public relations wing, which did not address questions from Reuters about military casualties. 

In December, the TTP released a video purportedly recorded by one of its fighters from mountains around the capital, Islamabad, showing Pakistan's parliament building. "We are coming," said a note held by the unidentified fighter. 

The TTP wants to show that its fighters can strike outside their current areas of influence, said Amir Rana, director of the Pak Institute for Peace Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank. While their ability may be limited, he said, "propaganda is a big part of this war and the TTP are getting good at it". 




Police officers hold their weapons during a training session at the Elite Police Training Centre in Nowshera, Pakistan, February 10, 2023. (Photo courtesy: REUTERS)

'Sitting ducks' 

The police in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, which neighbours Islamabad, say they are up for the fight, but point to a lack of resources. 

"The biggest problem is the number of personnel, which is a little low," said Shah, of Sarband station, which has 55 people -- including drivers and clerks -- for the station and eight affiliated outposts. "This is a target area, and we're absolutely face-to-face with (the militants)." 

Days before Reuters visited Sarband, a senior police official was ambushed and killed outside the station during a firefight with militants. The attack demonstrated the firepower of the insurgents, who, according to Shah, used thermal goggles to target the officer in darkness. 

It wasn't the first time. About a year ago, the TTP released a video of its snipers using thermal imaging to take out unsuspecting security personnel. 

Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, who did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters about the insurgency, told local TV this month that militants saw the police as "soft targets" because their public-facing role made it easier to penetrate their facilities. 

Zahid Hussain, a journalist and author of books on militancy, said the police were more vulnerable than the military, given their resources and training. 

"I mean, they're sitting ducks there," Hussain said. 




People pray for the victims who were killed in a suicide bombing in January, in a mosque that was partially damaged during the attack in the Police Lines area in Peshawar, Pakistan, February 9, 2023. (Photo courtesy: REUTERS)

'Lethal weapons' 

Moazzam Jah Ansari, who was chief of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's police when he spoke to Reuters this month but has since been replaced, said militant strategies had been evolving.

"They try and find more effective ways to conduct military operations, more lethal weapons," he said. 

Militants have procured U.S.-made M4 rifles and other sophisticated weapons from stocks left by Western forces that exited Afghanistan in 2021, police officials said. Some police guards told Reuters they had seen small reconnaissance drones flying over their outposts. 

Khurasani, the TTP spokesman, confirmed that the group was using drones for surveillance. 

Several police officials at Sarband station said the provincial government and military provided them and other outposts with thermal goggles in late January to aid the fight. But they encountered another problem. 

"About 22 hours of the day we have power outages... there's no electricity to charge our goggles," Shah told Reuters at Sarband. 

The station has one rooftop solar panel, which officers paid out of their own pockets to install, according to station chief Qayyum Khan. One policeman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of disciplinary action, said police use their vehicles or go to a petrol station equipped with a back-up generator to charge their goggles. 

Police said they had taken other protection measures, including erecting rudimentary walls to guard against sniper fire, and procuring bulletproof glass from a market that sells equipment left behind by U.S.-led forces. 




Imam Noor ul Ameen, 35, who is also a police employee, holds his palms as he leads a prayer for the victims who were killed in a suicide bombing in January, in a mosque that was partially damaged during the attack in the Police Lines area, in Peshawar, Pakistan, February 9, 2023. (Photo courtesy: REUTERS)

Economic conditions 

Reuters spoke to four other senior officials and more than a dozen lower-ranking officers, all of whom said the provincial force was neglected despite its key role. They spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of disciplinary action. 

Required resources were not forthcoming, and their pay and perks were inferior to that of counterparts elsewhere in Pakistan, let alone the military, these officials told Reuters. 

"Do the police need more resources? They absolutely do," said Taimur Jhagra, who was provincial finance minister until January, when a caretaker administration took over ahead of elections. 

Jhagra said his government helped the police as much as it could with pay raises and procuring equipment such as goggles, despite fiscal constraints. Pakistan's debt-ridden economy has been in a tailspin for over a year, and the country is trying to slash spending to avoid default. 

"Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa pays a greater price for that" because of its exposure to the militants, he said. 

Ansari, the former police chief, said resources had improved, but tended to come reactively when a threat emerged, rather than as sustained support. He, too, attributed this to economic circumstances, but added that things were not as bad as some suggested. 

'Seething anger' 

After Western forces left Afghanistan in August 2021, Pakistan sought a truce with the TTP, resulting in a months-long ceasefire and negotiations brokered by the Afghan Taliban. As part of the effort, many militants from Afghanistan were resettled in Pakistan. 

The TTP ended the ceasefire in November 2022, and regrouped militants restarted attacks in Pakistan soon after. 

Following the Peshawar bombing, police personnel held public protests where some voiced anger against their leadership, the provincial and national governments, and even the military, calling for more resources and clarity on the policy of fighting the militants. Ansari acknowledged a "deep sense of loss" and "seething anger" in the force in the wake of the attack. 

At the site of the blast, police personnel gathered on a recent day to remember their fallen comrades. The imam, a police employee who lost his brother in the attack, prayed for the success of the force. 

Behind the mosque, Daulat Khan, an assistant sub-inspector, and eight relatives live in cramped police quarters comprising a 25-square-metre space with only one room. Around him are crumbling, blast-damaged walls. 

"Everyone can see the sacrifices of the police, but nothing is done for us," he said, pointing to rows of century-old, British-colonial era quarters. "You see the conditions in front of you." 

Outside, open sewage canals lined the alleyways. 




A billboard with photos of police officers who died in the line of duty is seen in the Police Lines area, Peshawar, Pakistan, February 9, 2023. (Photo courtesy: REUTERS)

Different battle 

Pakistan's military effectively dismantled the TTP and killed most of its top leadership in a string of operations from 2014 onwards, driving most of the fighters into Afghanistan, where they regrouped. 

But the nature of the fight has changed in recent months, which partly shows why the police, not the military, are at the forefront. The militants were now spread in smaller groups across the country and among the civilian population, instead of operating from bases in former tribal areas, analysts said.  

The military has also been stretched by another insurgency in the southwestern province of Balochistan, where separatists are targeting state infrastructure and Chinese investments. 

The defence ministry did not respond to requests for comment about the armed forces' role in resisting militants in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. 

Miles from the flashpoints, meanwhile, police graduates receive six-month crash courses in anti-militant operations at the vast Elite Police Training Centre in Nowshera. 

The personnel, including women, learn how to conduct raids, rappel from buildings and use rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft guns, which they unleash on a model of a militant training camp. 

But beyond the training school's walls, there is no stationary militant camp, attacks come at night, and police are often on their own. 

Faizanullah Khan said that, on some nights at his outpost, militants call out to him or his fellow guards. "They say 'we see you; lay down your arms'," he said. 

The guards sometimes reply, he said, by firing their guns into the darkness.


Pakistan waives all duties, taxes on sugar imports to curb price hikes

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Pakistan waives all duties, taxes on sugar imports to curb price hikes

  • Announcement comes as sugar prices surge to Rs200 [$0.70] per kg in several parts of Pakistan
  • Pakistan to import 350,000 tons of sugar in two phases initially, says food security ministry 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Food Security Ministry announced on Wednesday it has decided to waive all duties and taxes on sugar imports to ensure the product is available to the public at affordable prices. 

In Pakistan, high sugar prices have triggered public outcry and become flashpoints for opposition criticism in the past, with allegations of hoarding and cartelization frequently surfacing in election years or periods of economic volatility.

The latest announcement from the ministry comes as sugar prices surge to nearly Rs200 [$0.70] per kilogram in several parts of the country, triggering public concern. National Food Security Minister Rana Tanveer Hussain chaired a meeting of the steering committee on sugar on Wednesday, which decided to import the commodity through the Trade Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) to ensure transparency and quality control. 
“To facilitate this process, the government has exempted all duties and taxes on sugar imports so that sugar can be made available to the general public at affordable prices and inflationary pressures can be eased,” the ministry said in a statement. 

It said sugar will be imported initially in two phases. In the first phase, a tender for 200,000 metric tons of sugar will be issued, followed by another tender for 150,000 metric tons after one week.

The ministry said these import quantities have been determined in line with immediate market requirements and anticipated demand in the coming weeks.

“The imported sugar will be of premium quality, meeting standard market expectations— specifically, the coarse-grain variety commonly used by consumers,” the statement said.

“Additionally, post-shipment inspection will be strictly enforced to ensure that quality standards are upheld.”

Hussain said the government would deploy a streamlined and “active system” to guarantee timely distribution of imported sugar across the country, leaving no room for hoarding or profiteering.

“He expressed hope that this strategic intervention will help stabilize sugar prices in the local market and significantly ease the financial burden on consumers,” the ministry said. 


Saudi aviation team to conduct security audit of seven Pakistani airports in August

Updated 09 July 2025
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Saudi aviation team to conduct security audit of seven Pakistani airports in August

  • Saudi team to conduct audit at airports in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Sialkot and Multan, says official
  • Saudi Arabia’s aviation team expressed satisfaction with Pakistan’s aviation security procedures in its last audit two years ago 

KARACHI: A Saudi aviation team will conduct a security audit of seven Pakistani airports in August, a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) spokesperson said on Wednesday. 

The security audit will cover airports in Pakistan’s Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Faisalabad, Sialkot, and Multan cities, PCAA spokesperson Shahid Qadir said.

He said the director-general of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) has approached Pakistan’s DG PCAA, Nadir Shafi Dar, to conduct the aviation security audit. 

“A Saudi aviation security team will visit Pakistan in the coming month and will conduct this audit in August and onwards,” Qadir told Arab News. 

The Saudi aviation team is coordinating closely with the PCAA’s Directorate of Aviation Security (AvSec), which will host the visiting delegation, Qadir said. The PCAA’s director general has designated the AvSec director to oversee the audit process, he added. 

This marks the second such audit by Saudi aviation authorities, who conducted their inaugural security assessment of Pakistan in 2023. The Saudi team later expressed satisfaction with Pakistan’s aviation security procedures, which involve multiple stakeholders such as the Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA), the Airport Security Force (ASF), airlines, cargo handlers and catering companies.

The development takes place as Pakistan’s civil aviation sector shows marked improvement in international benchmarks.

Following the separation of the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) from the PCAA and the enactment of the Civil Aviation Authority Act, Pakistan has achieved a score of 86.73 percent in the International Civil Aviation Organization’s Universal Security Audit Programme (USAP). 

As per the PCAA, this rating is higher than the global average of 71 percent and India’s 73 percent.

Separately, a two-member team from the United Kingdom’s Department for Transport (DfT) began its aviation security assessment of the Islamabad International Airport on Tuesday.

The team, accompanied by a representative of the British High Commission, will review airport security procedures, catering, and flight operations over its three-day visit.

“All aviation security stakeholders, including PAA officials, ASF personnel and representatives from PIA, British Airways, Air Blue, Kitchen Cuisine, Ras Menzies and others attended the initial briefing,” a PCAA handout said.

The PCAA said Pakistan has previously performed well in the UK’s DfT audits, saying that officials are optimistic about the outcome of the latest assessment. 

The PCAA said its director general has also initiated engagement with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in pursuit of direct flight operations to the US.

The development follows Pakistan’s national carrier resuming flights to Europe in January after the European aviation safety agency lifted its four-year ban on the airline.

Pakistan International Airlines has also approached UK authorities for permission to resume its services to the country. 

PIA was banned by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), UK and the US after Pakistan opened an investigation into the validity of pilots’ licenses following a PIA plane crash in Karachi in May 2020 that killed 97 people.


Police say militants behind quadcopter attacks in northwest Pakistan that killed one, injured three

Updated 09 July 2025
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Police say militants behind quadcopter attacks in northwest Pakistan that killed one, injured three

  • No group has claimed responsibility for attacks, one of which police say targeted a police station in Bannu
  • Pakistan’s military blamed militant outfits backed by India for drone attacks that killed four children in May

PESHAWAR: One woman was killed while three others were injured in two quadcopter attacks in northwestern Pakistan this week, a police official said on Wednesday, blaming militants for carrying out the assault. 

The first attack took place on Tuesday night in the northwestern tribal Bannu district’s Srah Bangla area, District Police Officer (DPO) Saleem Abbas Kulachi said. The quadcopter strike killed a woman and left three injured, including two children, he added.

The second attack targeted the Miryan Police Station in the same district at 6:45 am on Wednesday, he said. The police officer added that an explosive-laden quadcopter deployed by the “Khawarij” had struck the facility.

Khawarij is a commonly used term by Pakistani authorities to describe extremist factions like the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

“These attacks are being carried out by militants who have acquired and deployed quadcopters in carrying out attacks,” Amir Khan, a media officer for the regional police officer in Bannu, told Arab News.

He did not provide further details. Kulachi, however, said an investigation is underway to identify those responsible for the Miryan Police Station attack.

The TTP, which has carried out some of the deadliest attacks against Pakistan’s armed forces and civilians since 2007, has not claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

On May 19, a suspected drone strike reportedly led to the deaths of four children in Hurmuz village of the northwestern Mir Ali tehsil and injuries to five others, including a woman.

Pakistan’s military denied responsibility for the attack days later, attributing the incident to a proscribed militant network which it said was operating on “the behest of their Indian masters.”

“Initial findings have established that this heinous act has been orchestrated and executed by Indian-sponsored Fitna Al Khawarij,” the military’s media wing said in a statement.

Later in May, police said at least 22 people were wounded in another suspected quadcopter attack near a volleyball ground in Pakistan’s South Waziristan district.

The police spokesperson had said the origins and operators of the drone remained “undetermined.

Islamabad has repeatedly blamed Afghanistan-based militant groups for launching attacks inside Pakistan, a claim that Kabul denies.

Pakistan also blames India for backing militant groups in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. India denies the allegations. 


Pakistan extends Hajj 2026 registration deadline to July 11 as 313,000 complete process 

Updated 09 July 2025
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Pakistan extends Hajj 2026 registration deadline to July 11 as 313,000 complete process 

  • The deadline for the registration process of Hajj 2026 was supposed to end on July 9
  • Registration is mandatory for all intending pilgrims and no fee is required at this stage

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s government has extended the deadline for Hajj 2026 registration by two days to July 11, the religion ministry said on Wednesday, sharing that 313,000 people have completed the registration process so far.

The ministry had announced the launch of next year’s Hajj process last month, which was due to remain open till July 9. Applicants will be able to choose between the government and private Hajj schemes once the deadline expires.

Intending pilgrims can register through 15 designated banks, and only those who complete the process will be eligible to perform Hajj next year. No fee is required at the registration stage.

“Deadline for Hajj 2026 registration has been extended by two days,” Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA) said in a statement. 

“Hajj registration will continue until July 11 through designated banks and the ministry’s online portal.” 

The ministry said 313,000 individuals have so far completed the registration process for Hajj 2026. It added that the decision to extend the deadline was taken after considering requests from several intending pilgrims.

The ministry said expenses and other terms and conditions of Hajj 2026 will be issued separately as per the Hajj policy.

Registration is mandatory for pilgrims who were left out of the private scheme this year, as well as for Pakistanis residing abroad.

Pakistan had received a quota of 179,210 pilgrims from Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2025, evenly divided between the government and private Hajj operators.

However, a major portion of the private quota remained unutilized due to delays by companies in meeting payment and registration deadlines, while the government filled its full allocation of over 88,000 pilgrims.

Private operators blamed the situation on technical glitches such as payment issues and communication breakdowns.
 


Pakistan kicks off investor roadshow in China for inaugural panda bond

Updated 09 July 2025
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Pakistan kicks off investor roadshow in China for inaugural panda bond

  • Pre-marketing meetings in Beijing draw strong investor interest in debut Panda Bond
  • Finance Ministry says move will help diversify funding through China’s onshore market

KARACHI: Pakistan has launched a series of investor meetings in Beijing this week as it prepares to issue its first-ever panda bond, the finance ministry said on Wednesday, marking a significant step in the country’s strategy to diversify its funding sources through China’s onshore capital market.

Representatives from the Pakistani ministry of finance are holding the non-deal investor roadshow (NDR) in China from July 7 to 11, 2025. The delegation has engaged in technical discussions with potential investors, underwriters, prospective guarantors, the Chinese Rating Agency, and Chinese legal counsel as part of the pre-marketing process for the debut issuance.

The investor meetings focus on Pakistan’s macroeconomic outlook, ongoing debt management reforms and the proposed bond’s structure. The initiative reflects Pakistan’s push to broaden its investor base and strengthen its credibility in international capital markets.

A panda bond is a Renminbi-denominated bond issued by a foreign government, multilateral institution, or company in China’s onshore bond market, allowing overseas issuers to raise funds from Chinese investors while diversifying their investor base and gaining access to China’s deep capital pool.

“The visit reflects the Government’s commitment to proactive investor engagement and diversification of funding sources through access to China’s onshore capital market,” the finance ministry said in a statement.

According to the ministry, the inaugural panda bond is expected to be launched later this year after the completion of documentation and regulatory approvals, including credit guarantees from multilateral development partners.

Officials said the roadshow has drawn strong initial interest, signalling investor confidence in Pakistan’s reform trajectory. The ministry described the move as a milestone that would help Pakistan tap China’s deep and diversified onshore bond market while using local currency instruments backed by multilateral partners.

“The successful NDR so far reflects the Government’s commitment to innovative and forward-looking financial diplomacy — and sends a clear message: Pakistan is ready to enter new capital frontiers with confidence and credibility,” the statement added.