A communications tower of a private phone company was blown up in Maidan area Lower Dir district late on Tuesday. According to police, powerful explosives were used in the blast.
According to local media in Lower Dir, threatening posters were pasted by the TTP in local mosques, madrassas, and bazaars two days before the incident. The posters were issued by Hafizullah alias Kochwan, a self-proclaimed commander of the TTP in Lower Dir. Hafizullah alias Kochwan said in the posters that Jihad had been declared for the implementation of Islamic Shariah. The locals were warned in the posters that if they cooperated with the government, they will be treated ‘harshly’. “People must also refrain from tearing the posters,” an additional note read.
Police Station Lal Qilla confirmed that the tower was blown up late at night and that an FIR has been lodged against unidentified miscreants.
The mobile tower blast and emergence of posters are a continuation of terrorist activities that have been going on in Maidan area for the past few weeks. Residents of Maidan say that members of TTP, who fled to Afghanistan after the military operation, are now returning back. Some locals also claim to have seen Taliban patrolling the streets at night.
The locals also staged a protest in the area in which they demanded that the government take immediate notice of the increasing incidents of terrorism and launch operation against terrorists and their facilitators in the area.
Samiullah, a resident of the area, said that if the terrorist incidents were not brought under control, the people will have to leave their homes and relocate once again.
Police officials say they have intensified operations to deal with such incidents and that situation will be under control very soon.
Officials say it is not possible for Taliban in Afghanistan to carry out terrorist acts without local facilitators. “A meeting of senior police officials will be held to review the situation,” they added.
