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 Swat District (), also known as the Swat Valley, is a Districts of Pakistan, district in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Known for its stunning natural beauty, the district is a popular tourist destination. With a populati ...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...

. In a statement, the

Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan The Pakistani Taliban, officially the Tehreek-i-Taliban-e-Pakistan (TTP), is an umbrella organization of various Islamist armed militant groups operating along the Afghan–Pakistani border. Formed in 2007 by Baitullah Mehsud, its current ...

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 is the head of government of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The chief minister leads the legislative branch of the provincial government, and is elected by the Provincial Assembly. As lon ...

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 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 ) is a tehsil in Swat District, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a province of Pakistan. Located in the northwestern region of th ...

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 Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who has served as the 20th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan since March 2024, having previously been in the role between Ap ...

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 Aimal Wali Khan (; born 18 November 1986) is a Pakistani politician and president of Awami National Party, serving as a member of the Senate of Pakistan since April 2024. He is the son of the former president of Awami National Party, Asfandy ...

and

Mushtaq Ahmad Khan Mushtaq Ahmad Khan (born 1973–1974) is a Pakistani politician and political activist. A member of Jamaat-e-Islami who served as a member of the Senate of Pakistan representing Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from March 2018 to March 2024, Khan is known ...

joined the protest. The attack followed

Malala Yousafzai Malala Yousafzai (; , pronunciation: ; born 12 July 1997) is a Pakistani female education activist, film and television producer, and the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize laureate at the age of 17. She is the youngest Nobel Prize laureate in history, ...

's attack anniversary in Swat.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swat bombing, 2022 2022 in Pakistan Swat District 2022 murders in Pakistan 2020s crimes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa September 2022 crimes in Asia September 2022 in Pakistan Terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2022