PESHAWAR: At least two policemen were killed on Friday when a convoy of local judges came under attack in northwestern Pakistan, a police official confirmed, as the country grapples with a surge in militant attacks, particularly in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province bordering Afghanistan.
Pakistan has faced deadly attacks by the banned militant conglomerate Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) since an uneasy truce between them collapsed in November 2022.
The network, whose leadership is reportedly based in neighboring Afghanistan, has targeted civilians and security forces with impunity since its inception in 2007, prompting the military to launch multiple operations to dislodge its fighters from the country’s northwestern tribal region.
This is not the first time the lives of district judges have been endangered by militants operating in KP. Last April, Judge Shakirullah Marwat was abducted by unidentified kidnappers near a village at the junction of Tank and Dera Ismail (DI) Khan districts but was recovered after a few days.
“Two policemen have been killed who were part of the judges’ security squad,” District Police Officer Abdul Salam Khalid told Arab News on Friday. “The attack on the convoy occurred at the junction of Tank and DI Khan.”
The police official said two judges were traveling in separate cars from Dera Ismail Khan to South Waziristan when their convoy was ambushed by unidentified militants. He added more details related to the incident would be shared after the investigation was completed.
Meanwhile, Regional Police Officer Nasir Mehmood said the attack was not aimed at the judges but was instead carried out to target the police personnel.
“Attacks on police and law enforcement agencies occur on and off in the region,” he added.
Reacting to the attack, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur described the targeting of judges and police as a “sad and condemnable” act, directing the authorities to submit a detailed report on the incident.
The province has witnessed a major increase in militant violence, with two policemen and a civilian killed this week in an attack on a police checkpoint in Khyber district.
Earlier in July, 10 soldiers and five civilians lost their lives in two separate attacks in the Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan districts of KP.
In the first attack, the army reported that a group of 10 militants attempted to enter the cantonment in Bannu in the early hours of July 15, while in the second attack, militants opened fire on rural health center staff.
In February, 10 policemen were killed and six others injured in an attack on the Chodwan police station in Dera Ismail Khan, a district that remains one of the most dangerous parts of KP due to frequent militant attacks.
Pakistan has blamed the recent surge in militant violence on the Taliban administration in Afghanistan, which it says facilitates groups like the TTP. Kabul denies allowing its territory to be used by armed militants and maintains that Pakistan’s security issues are a domestic matter.
Two policemen killed as judges’ convoy attacked by militants in northwestern Pakistan
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Two policemen killed as judges’ convoy attacked by militants in northwestern Pakistan
- Both judges remain safe in the shooting incident at a junction between Tank and Dera Ismail Khan
- A senior police official in the area says the militants primarily wanted to target the police personnel
Pakistan expands pilgrim travel system for Iran, Iraq with licenses to 67 new operators
- New system requires all Iraq-Iran pilgrimages to be organized by licensed groups under state oversight
- Long-running “Salar” model relied on informal caravan leaders, leading to overstays and missing pilgrims
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has issued registration certificates to 67 additional licensed pilgrimage companies, expanding a tightly regulated travel system designed to curb overstays, undocumented migration and security risks linked to religious travel to Iran and Iraq, the ministry of religious affairs said on Tuesday.
The move is part of a broader overhaul of Pakistan’s pilgrim management framework after authorities confirmed that tens of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims had overstayed or gone missing abroad over the past decade, raising concerns with host governments and triggering diplomatic pressure on Islamabad to tighten oversight.
“The dream of safe travel for pilgrims to Iran and Iraq through better facilities and a transparent mechanism is set to be realized,” the religious affairs ministry said in a statement, quoting Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, who announced that 67 new Ziyarat Group Organizers had been registered.
Pakistan’s government has dismantled the decades-old “Salar” system, under which informal caravan leaders arranged pilgrimages with limited state oversight. The model was blamed for weak documentation, poor accountability and widespread overstays, particularly during peak pilgrimage seasons.
Under the new framework, only licensed companies are allowed to organize pilgrimages, and they are held directly responsible for ensuring pilgrims return within approved timelines.
Authorities say pilgrimages to Iran and Iraq will be conducted exclusively under the new system from January 2026, marking a full transition to regulated travel. The religion ministry said it has now completed registration of 24 operators in the first phase and 67 more in the second, with remaining applicants urged to complete documentation to obtain licenses.
The religious affairs ministry said a digital management system is being developed with the National Information Technology Board to monitor pilgrim movements and operator compliance, while a licensed ferry operator has also secured approval to explore future sea travel options.
The overhaul has been accompanied by tighter coordination with host countries. Earlier this month, Pakistan and Iraq agreed to share verified pilgrim data and restrict entry to travelers cleared under the new system, following talks between interior ministers in Islamabad and Baghdad. Pakistan has also barred overland pilgrim travel for major religious events, citing security risks in its southwestern Balochistan province, meaning travel to Iran and Iraq is now limited to approved air routes.
Officials say the reforms are aimed at balancing facilitation with accountability, as tens of thousands of Pakistani pilgrims travel annually to key Shia shrines, including Karbala and Najaf in Iraq and Mashhad and Qom in Iran. Travel peaks during religious occasions such as Arbaeen, when millions of worshippers converge on Iraq, placing heavy logistical and security demands on regional authorities.
The government says the new system is intended to restore confidence among host countries while ensuring safer, more transparent travel for Pakistani pilgrims.
