File photo. Abdul Majeed—AFP
Multiple shots of gunfire and explosions were reported from Lakki Marwat on Thursday night, raising fears of a terrorist assault, but neither the police nor the military have issued any statement on the incidents.
According to police, the initial explosion took place near the Government Postgraduate College Lakki Marwat, which currently houses security personnel and a military camp. This was followed by several other explosions and heavy gunfire, which continued for almost an hour before coming to a halt. Local residents said the gunfire had partially damaged some homes in the area, but no casualties have been reported.
Local media reported that the explosion and gunfire was caused by militants attacking the military compound. It said troops had retaliated, triggering a gunbattle, but the militants had fled before any of them could be apprehended.
Following the incidents, security was ramped up in Lakki Marwat and a clearance operation launched to locate any assailants.
The attack came within a week of the killing of three militants who had assassinated a retired colonel in Lakki Marwat. There has been a marked resurgence in terrorism across Pakistan, especially parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, since the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan ended a ceasefire it had inked with the state as part of peace talks advocated by the former military leadership and the ousted PTI-led government. In recent weeks, both the military and the government have described the peace talks as a “mistake,” and vowed to eradicate all militancy from Pakistan without any distinction.