Bannu, November 21,2025: Seven people were martyred on Friday when armed assailants attacked a peace committee office in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, police said.
According to police officials, one of the deceased was a “good Talib”, a term used for former militants who surrendered to the state, while the remaining victims were his relatives. Although the victims’ family stated in their complaint that the incident stemmed from a personal feud, police believe the claim was made to avert further retaliatory attacks.
An FIR was registered at the Havaid police station under Sections 302, 324, 149 and 148 of the Pakistan Penal Code. It stated that the attackers stormed the victims’ baithak (guesthouse), opened fire, and fled. Three nominated suspects, accompanied by other armed men, were reportedly led by a “terrorist commander”.
The complainant, Abdullah, told police that his family had a long-running enmity with the suspects over a previous murder.
Peace committees — also known as village defence committees — were established to support law enforcement in resisting militant activity in KP. Members often include reformed militants, commonly referred to as “good Taliban”. Such committees have been targeted repeatedly in the past.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, describing it as an act of “Fitna-al-Khawarij” — a state-designated term for the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He expressed deep grief over the loss of lives and prayed for the victims, according to APP.
“These cowardly acts, aimed at sabotaging peace efforts, expose the evil intentions of Fitna-al-Khawarij,” he said, directing authorities to identify and punish the perpetrators. “The entire nation stands united to defeat anti-state elements.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the “cowardly terrorist attack”, calling it a malicious attempt to destabilise peace. He assured that the state and the nation remain steadfast against enemies of stability.
