A wave of militant violence continued to envelop Pakistan on Tuesday as a suicide bomber attacked a crucial security checkpoint in the eastern province of Punjab. The assault, which occurred in the Dajal checkpost in Bhakkar district, took at least four police officers’ lives and left a set of others wounded.
The attack came during a high-alert period when security forces were conducting search operations in the region. The accused approached the inter-provincial checkpost on foot and detonated his explosive vest near the personnel on duty, Bhakkar District Police Officer (DPO) Shahzad Rafiq says.
Law enforcers at checkpoints walk a razor’s edge. If they conduct thorough searches, they’re accused of overreach & profiling. If they show courtesy to avoid backlash, they risk a bomber closing the gap. The tragedy? A bomber needs one moment of leniency; an officer pic.twitter.com/670j6hF2wx
— پکی پکوڑی (@smartypoppat) February 25, 2026
Casualties and Emergency Response
Four officers were killed in the explosion. They were Muhammad Faheem and Muhammad Shehbaz, who were at the border post between Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- Injuries: 3 passersby and 2 additional security personnel sustained moderate to critical injuries.
- Urgent Action: Rescue personnel and other police contingents arrived at the scene, taking the victims to the Bhakkar District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ).
- Security Lockdown: After the explosion, the region was cordoned off and a large "sanitization" operation was launched to hunt down any possible facilitators.
Escalating Violence Across Provinces
The suicide bombing in Bhakkar was not a freak incident. On that day, another deadly ambush also took place in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, when militants attacked a police patrol vehicle. Five officers were killed and their vehicle burned in the Kohat attack. Two civilians eventually succumbed to their injuries, adding to the total death toll from the dual attacks on Tuesday to at least 11 people.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, and a smaller militant group, Ansar-ul-Islam, have both been linked to the recent surge in violence. Though the TTP itself claimed the Kohat ambush, investigation focuses on the actual perpetrators of the Bhakkar suicide blast, while some reports point to a Barelvi militant splinter group.
National Condemnation
Pakistan’s leaders have acted decisively. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif released statements condemning the "cowardly" acts and reinforcing the government's policy of the "Azm-e-Istehkam" (Resolve for Stability) counter-terrorism initiative.
The attacks are occurring at a time of increased regional tensions and Pakistan has been conducting airstrikes against militant hideouts across the border in Afghanistan, saying that such attacks are being orchestrated on Afghan soil — a claim the Taliban administration in Kabul continues to deny.
