Pakistan: A Rangers personnel was martyred and another wounded after armed men opened fire on law enforcement personnel during a road clearance operation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), police said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred along the Sarsawa-Tararkhel route, where Rangers personnel were deployed to remove blockades and restore transportation routes, according to an AJK police spokesperson.
Rangers personnel Shahnawaz was killed after suffering a bullet wound to the chest. He belonged to Khairpur, Sindh. Lance Naik Bilal was also wounded after being shot in the shoulder.
Police said clearance teams remain deployed across affected areas to remove obstructions and reopen roads for traffic.
How did the attack on Rangers personnel take place?
According to AJK police, Rangers personnel came under fire while carrying out the road clearance operation between Sarsawa and Tararkhel.
Despite the attack, authorities continued efforts to remove blockades from various locations and restore transport links. Police said the operation would continue until all obstacles had been cleared and routes fully reopened.
The latest incident follows a similar attack reported last month, when a Rangers personnel was martyred and another injured after armed members of the banned Jammu Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) allegedly attacked security forces responding to reports of indiscriminate firing near the Matial Maira bus terminal in Rawalakot.
Why was JAAC declared a proscribed organisation in AJK?
The AJK government declared JAAC a proscribed organisation on June 5 under the Anti-Terrorism Act, stating that the group was involved in terrorism.
The ban came days before a planned protest by the organisation over demands including the abolition of 12 AJK Assembly seats reserved for refugees from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir who migrated to Pakistan after 1947.
Authorities have continued clearance operations in the region following the latest violence, with police maintaining that transport routes will remain a priority until all blockades are removed.