As many as 11 policemen have been killed and 10 others injured in an August 22 ambush by robbers in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab Province, one of the deadliest attacks against law enforcement in the restive region in recent times.
The robbers, armed with rocket-propelled grenades and guns, attacked the officers while the two vehicles they were traveling in stopped along the road after one experienced mechanical problems, the police said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and ordered "immediate and effective action" against the bandits. Maryam Nawaz, the Punjab Chief Minister, said in a statement that the attack “will not go unavenged.”
The ambush comes three weeks after six police officers from Punjab and Sindh provinces were killed by robbers in two separate attacks in the region on July 31.
The riverine region along the border of Punjab and southeastern Sindh Province is considered a no-go zone for citizens, and law enforcement agencies do not have much control of it.
The area, a combination of forests and uncultivated land owned by the state, is spread out over hundreds of square kilometers on both sides of the Indus river.
Armed bandits have been present there for many years, engaging in kidnapping for ransom, extortion, and murder. Police and other law enforcement agencies began operations to combat their activities in 2021.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, a non-governmental, independent body, said in its fact-finding report last year that at least "300 cases of kidnapping for ransom were registered" in 2022. The robbers make an estimated 1 billion Pakistani rupees ($3,580,400) a year from their illegal activities.
Experts believe that local influential politicians and landlords are behind the gangs as they seek to profit from the land.