ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed warned of more terrorism-related incidents in the federal capital after a policeman was shot dead and two others were injured at a check-point.
The Monday night gun battle, in which two militants were also shot dead, started when two gunmen riding a motorcycle opened fire on a police check-point in the vicinity of the Karachi Company police station.
"This was not an incident of dacoity or theft. Terrorists opened fire on them [police officials]. This is a signal for us that terror incidents have started taking place in Islamabad," he said while speaking to journalists after the martyred police official's funeral prayers.
The interior minister said authorities needed to remain alert, as he noted the incident was "purely of terrorism". Rasheed said the authorities had tracked down the "sleeper cell" of the terrorists through their motorcycle.
Shahid Zaman, a senior Islamabad Police official, said the incident was "an act of terrorism". The martyred police official has been identified as Head Constable Munawwar, while the injured include Amin and Rashid, a spokesperson for the police said. The spokesperson added that the wounded officers received treatment at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS).
"This is the first terror-related incident in the country [...] but police, through this encounter, have proved that they are ready to lay down their lives no matter what comes their way," the interior minister added.
