Two policemen martyred as census teams targeted in KP

F.P. Report

PESHAWAR: Two policemen were martyred and eight injured as census teams came under attack in two Khyber Pakhtunkhwa districts — Lakki Marwat and Tank — officials said Monday.

With terrorism rearing its ugly head again in the country, the province has witnessed a spate of attacks in which not only security forces, but innocent citizens have also lost their lives.

In Lakki Marwat, motorcyclists opened fire on the census team in the limits of Sadar Police Station, martyring an on-duty policeman, Constable Dil Jaan. The unidentified assailants escaped after firing.

On the other hand, the census team was also fired upon in the Kot Azam area of ​​Gomal in Tank. A policeman, Khan Nawab, was martyred and eight others were seriously injured. They were shifted to DHQ hospital for treatment.

In both areas, search operations are underway to apprehend the attacks, officials said — after the latest attack on law enforcers.

The seventh population and housing census of Pakistan commenced earlier this month, while the self-enumeration portal is currently operative. The process will end on April 1

Within a few days of its opening, the internet portal had recorded four million clicks. The survey’s fieldwork will be conducted by up to 121,000 field enumerators, who will use electronic devices to verify respondents’ information.

According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the data collected through this process will be utilised for public policy formulation and constituency delimitation in future general elections.

As Pakistan remains gripped by the spate of terror attacks for the last few months, the country’s civil and military leadership has resolved to stand united against terrorists.

The National Apex Committee — comprising the country’s top military and political leadership — sought national consensus to root out militancy.

The recent attacks by terrorists in the country’s rural and urban centres, claiming the lives of innocent Pakistanis and law enforcers, have triggered the security forces and LEAs to accelerate action against them.