Dera Ismail Khan District Police Officer Ziauddin Ahmad said four Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials were martyred in separate attacks in the district. Two of the officials were working with the tax authority on a contractual basis.
Following the attacks, the assailants fled the scene. Police cordoned off the affected areas and launched search operations to trace those responsible. An investigation into the incidents is also underway.
In a separate incident near Mufti Mahmood Chowk bypass, unidentified attackers opened fire on a highway traffic police vehicle, killing the official who was driving it.
Another police official sustained injuries in the attack and was shifted to the District Headquarters Teaching Hospital for medical treatment. Senior police officers visited the hospital and reviewed the situation.
Meanwhile, mobile phone services that had remained suspended across Dera Ismail Khan for three days were restored, providing relief to residents and the local business community.
The prolonged suspension had disrupted communication and affected routine commercial and public activities across the district.
The restoration came after authorities postponed the second annual matriculation examinations that were scheduled to begin on October 7. Controller of Examinations Qaiser Anwar said examinations planned for October 7 to 10 would be rescheduled, with the revised schedule beginning on October 12.
Authorities have not publicly established any link between the mobile service suspension and the attacks. Further details regarding the incidents and the identities of those involved were not immediately available.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has continued to face militant attacks and security challenges. According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), Pakistan’s security situation deteriorated further in September 2026, with militant violence recording a significant increase.
PICSS reported 225 militant attacks across the country in September, compared with 199 in August, marking a 13.1 per cent increase and the highest monthly figure recorded in 12 years.
Dera Ismail Khan has also witnessed several major attacks in recent weeks. On September 27, 14 people, including two rescue officials, were martyred and 35 others injured after a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into a police checkpoint before an ambulance carrying bodies was also targeted.
Earlier, on September 18, a major attack at the old Police Lines in Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killed 23 people and injured around 100 others. Eight militants were subsequently killed during an overnight clearance operation.
