A roadside blast by an improvised explosive device targeting a convoy of foreign diplomats killed a policeman and wounded four others, a Pakistani official said Sunday.
The diplomats were traveling to a tourist area in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan and is a base for militant groups including the Pakistani Taliban.
The blast occurred at the tourist site and hill station of Malam Jabba, one of Pakistan’s two ski resorts, about 250 km north of the provincial capital Peshawar.
Sherin Zada /AP
The diplomats in the convoy were from Indonesia, Portugal, Kazakhstan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Turkmenistan, Vietnam, Iran, Russia and Tajikistan. They are all safe and a heavy security contingent is on site, police officer Javed Khan said.
They were visiting the area at the invitation of the local chamber of commerce and industry, Khan added.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a police reconnaissance vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device. The diplomats returned to the capital Islamabad.
“Our condolences go to the families of the police officer. We pay tribute to our law enforcement officers who remain steadfast in the face of terrorists,” the ministry said.
The attack has not been claimed.
In another incident in the southwestern province of Balochistan, gunmen opened fire on a security patrol in Zhob district and killed two officers on Saturday night.
A third died of his injuries on Sunday, Assistant Police Inspector Ghulam Muhammad said.
