On 13 September 2022, five people, including the former head of the Peace Committee and two policemen, were killed in a bomb blast in Swat district of

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ps, خېبر پښتونخوا; Urdu, Hindko: خیبر پختونخوا) commonly abbreviated as KP or KPK, is one of the Administrative units of Pakistan, four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, ...

. In a statement, the

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban (), formally called the Tehreek-e-Taliban-e-Pakistan (Urdu/ ps, , lit=Student Movement of Pakistan, TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Durand Line, Afghan–Pa ...

has accepted the responsibility for the blast, but the authorities have not yet confirmed this claim. The

Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa The Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ( ur, وزیر اعلیٰ خیبر پختونخوا) is the head of government of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The chief minister leads the legislative branch of the provincial government, ...

in a statement condemned the blast and said that the sacrifices of those who lost their lives will not go in vain.

Background

Swat, located around 240 kilometres (150 miles) from Islamabad, was a significant

TTP TTP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Tractatus Theologico-Politicus'', a book by the philosopher Baruch Spinoza Biology * Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, a blood disorder * Tristetraprolin, a protein Computing * Terrori ...

stronghold until operation rahe rast in 2009, when the Pakistani military drove the armed group's militants out. The new uptick in violence comes after peace negotiations between Pakistan's security services and the TTP failed to produce any results. With the Taliban's ascension to power in Afghanistan, however, the organization launched peace discussions and ceasefire negotiations with the government, clearing the path for the group to re-establish its influence in the region.

Attack

A roadside bomb assault, according the police, targeted the car of Idrees Khan, the ex-Village Defence Council (Aman Committee) Chairman of

Kabal Tehsil Kabal (Urdu and ps, ) is a town in Swat District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan located from Mingora city. The old name of kabal was ''Chendakhwara''. It is the tenth largest city in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 82nd largest in Pakistan b ...

in Swat. According to authorities, the targeted attack murdered five persons, including a peace committee member, two police officers, and his personal guards. Khan was a local elder who had previously led a tribal group battling the TTP in Swat.

Aftermath

On October 11, 2022 local of swat valley held a mass demonstration against a militant attack on a school van, resulting in the driver's death and injuries to students. The federal cabinet expressed concern over the incident and condemned the regrouping of militants. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired the meeting, expressing sympathy for the victims. Protesters demanded the attackers' arrest, ending their sit-in after negotiations with officials. Political figures like Aimal Wali Khan and

Mushtaq Ahmad Khan Mushtaq Ahmad Khan is a Pakistani politician who is a Member of the Senate of Pakistan, for the tenure of March 2018 to March 2024. Political career Khan's political career started when he was elected provincial head of the Islami Jamiat Talab ...

joined the protest. The attack followed Malala Yousafzai's attack anniversary in Swat.

References

{{reflist 2022 in Pakistan Swat District 2022 murders in Pakistan 2020s crimes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa September 2022 crimes in Asia September 2022 events in Pakistan Terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2022