Police and security sources say a gunman killed two Pakistani intelligence operatives outside a roadside restaurant in the east.
In the Khanewal area of the Punjab province, senior police officer Murtaza Bhatti claimed the incident on Tuesday occurred as the two cops were parking their car.
No one has claimed responsibility for the murder of the officers, who were known for arresting Pakistani Taliban and other armed individuals. They were also recognized for their proficiency in researching and resolving complex situations, such as gun and bomb assaults in Pakistan.
One of the dead policemen, according to officials, was the director of the province counterterrorism department, which has played a crucial role in apprehending members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban.
After unilaterally breaching a truce with the Pakistani government in November, the armed group has increased attacks on security personnel in recent months.
The Pakistani Taliban are different from the Afghan Taliban, but they work with them. The Afghan Taliban took power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021, after NATO and US troops left after 20 years of war.
Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on Monday that Pakistani Taliban hiding in Afghanistan were behind a recent “wave” of terrorist attacks in Pakistan. He told the Taliban who run Afghanistan to stop these fighters from using their land to attack Pakistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the main spokesman for the Afghan Taliban, said on Tuesday that Afghanistan wanted good relations with all of its neighbors, including Pakistan. But he also asked Islamabad to stop making statements that could make people doubt them.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan wants peace and stability for the whole region, and it wants peace and stability in its own country,” he said.
He said that the “Islamic Emirate is doing everything it can to keep Afghanistan’s land from being used against Pakistan or any other country.”