<\/p>\n
Ten cops were martyred while six were injured in a late-night attack on the Chodwan police station in Dera Ismail Khan on Monday, police said.<\/p>\n
The attack comes three days before the general elections are scheduled to take place on February 8 (Thursday).<\/p>\n
Regional Police Officer (RPO) Nasir Mehmood confirmed the casualties to Dawn.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cMore than 30 terrorists launched an attack from three directions. There was an exchange of fire for over two-and-a-half hours,\u201d Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief Akhtar Hayat Gandapur told AFP<\/em>.<\/p>\n Gandapur told AFP<\/em> the attackers briefly seized control of the police station during the assault in the early hours of Monday.<\/p>\n Malik Aneesul Hassan, the deputy superintendent of police in Draban, told Reuters<\/em> that after entering the building, the militants \u201cused hand grenades which caused more casualties to the police\u201d.<\/p>\n Security concerns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have risen as both provinces have witnessed multiple attacks over the past few days.<\/p>\n The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the security apparatus had reviewed<\/a> the law and order situation last week, stating that polls would be held at their scheduled time.<\/p>\n Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar strongly condemned the terrorist attack and offered his condolences to the families of the deceased.<\/p>\n He directed the concerned officials to provide the best possible medical treatment to the injured.<\/p>\n \u201cThe cowardly acts of terrorists will, as always, fail to undermine our resolve to maintain law and order,\u201d he said. \u201cThe entire nation stands with the police and security forces and salutes the martyrs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Interim Information Minister Murtaza Solangi also condemned the terrorist attack and expressed grief over the live lost. He also paid tribute to the officials who had laid down their lives to protect the nation.<\/p>\n \u201cTerrorists are enemies of peace and stability of the country,\u201d he said. The minister reaffirmed that acts of terrorism could not dampen the country\u2019s spirits, adding that the nation stood side-by-side with the police and security forces.<\/p>\n Caretaker KP Chief Minister Justice (rtd) Arshad Hussain Shah condemned the attack and expressed his grief over the loss of lives.<\/p>\n In a statement, he conveyed his sympathies to the families of the martyrs and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.<\/p>\n CM Shah said KP police had rendered \u201ceternal sacrifices\u201d for peace in the province and that \u201csuch cowardly attacks would not demoralise them\u201d.<\/p>\n He asserted that the government would help the bereaved in \u201cevery way possible\u201d.<\/p>\n Former prime minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences over the attack and said that such attacks would only strengthen the KP police\u2019s \u201cdetermination to achieve peace\u201d.<\/p>\n Condemning the incident, ex-president Asif Ali Zardari said that implementation of the National Action Plan was the only way to eliminate terrorism.<\/p>\n \u201cPeace will be achieved by destroying the nurseries of terrorists,\u201d he said in a statement posted on X.<\/p>\nRise in terror activities<\/h2>\n