Islamabad, July 5 (IANS) A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Group Captain was shot dead on Sunday by unknown gunmen near Shaheen Chowk in Islamabad, local media reported.

“According to preliminary reports, an unidentified young man was allegedly attempting to force a woman into a vehicle. Group Captain Asim Tariq, who happened to be passing by, reportedly intervened in an effort to defuse the situation,” the Pakistan Observer reported.

The youth then opened fire with a pistol, striking Group Captain Tariq, who died at the scene. His body has been shifted to the Pakistan Air Force Hospital Unit II.

“Police have taken the woman, identified as Nimra, into custody for questioning. Meanwhile, the suspected gunman and his accomplices managed to flee the scene in their vehicle,” it added.

On Friday, two Pakistani Police personnel, including an additional station house officer (SHO), were killed when armed assailants attacked a police patrol in Mohmand district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, local media reported.

According to the police, the attack took place near the Warsak Lift Canal in the Machni area, where a police mobile patrol was attacked by armed assailants. The police said an additional SHO and an elite force constable were killed in the attack, while the vehicle’s driver suffered injuries and was taken to Peshawar for treatment after receiving initial care, the Dawn reported.

According to the police, Fitna al Khawarij terrorists, a term used by Pakistan for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), were behind the attack.

Police, district administration officials, and rescue teams reached the site of the incident after receiving reports regarding the incident and initiated a rescue operation.

The incident occurred amid a rise in attacks targeting law enforcement personnel in Pakistan, especially in the border provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

–IANS

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