Two policemen have been gunned down on Thursday night in Pakistan’s federal capital Islamabad by unknown assailants, reports say. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) later released a statement claiming the attack. 

Constables Ishtiaq Ranjha and Bashir Shah, while on their routine patrol in Islamabad’s Shams Colony, were shot at, a senior police officer confirmed to Dawn. Security forces rushed to the area and started search operations to nab the culprit. 

The attack was later claimed by the TTP, commonly known as Pakistan Taliban. Significantly, in the last six months, the banned terrorist organization has gunned down a total of seven policemen in the country’s capital alone. 

There is clear evidence that the group--traditionally known for its activities in the country’s tribal belt along the Afghanistan Pakistan border-- has in recent months expanded its operational areas. Quetta, the capital of restive Balochistan province, too, has been witnessing attacks claimed by the group-- the most recent one is the high-profile attack on Serena Hotel. 

There are also other incidents, now almost on a weekly basis, of killings of security personnel along the border region. 

Significantly, in the three years, the group has merged several splinter groups, making it the most potent security challenge for the country’s security establishment-- a fact recently acknowledged by the Pakistan Army’s top brass. 

Pakistan Army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in a recent speech, had said that they would not allow terrorist groups to again disturb peace in the country. Similarly, at its annual press conference last year, the Pakistan Army had acknowledged the potential challenges posed by the regrouping of terrorist groups. 
  
Furthermore, the instability in Afghanistan, with which it shares a long porous border, could further compound its challenges. Last week, Pakistan had even asked Afghanistan to deny space to terrorists operating against Pakistan inside its soil.    

(SAM)