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ISLAMABAD: At least seven people, including two police officers, were martyred and several others wounded in a roadside explosion in a crowded market in Pakistan&#39;s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday, according to security sources. The blast took place in Sarai Naurang Bazaar in <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/eight-militants-killed-in-pakistans-northwest-security-sources" target="_blank" style="font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 115, 230);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lakki Marwat district</a>, a restive area near Pakistan&rsquo;s border with Afghanistan. According to initial reports, the device was planted on a motorcycle parked in the market area and detonated during business hours. Rescue officials said the injured were taken to a nearby hospital, though the exact number of wounded was not immediately confirmed. Security forces sealed off the area after the explosion and launched a search operation. According to security sources, following the success of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-says-796-afghan-taliban-terrorists-killed-as-operation-enters-sixth-week" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ghazab lil-Haq</a>&nbsp;(a cross-border military operation by the Pakistan armed forces to eliminate terrorism), Fitna al-Khwarij have reacted with anger. They have begun targeting civilian and other soft targets under external direction from India. After these incidents, strong anger and resentment have been reported among the people of Lakki Marwat toward the group. Pakistan PM orders probe&nbsp; Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the roadside explosion, according to a statement from the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office.&nbsp; According to the PMO, PM Sharif said authorities were working to eliminate terrorism and would not allow such attacks to hinder &ldquo;peace and development.&rdquo; He directed officials to complete an inquiry into the explosion in Sarai Naurang Bazaar, identify those responsible and bring them to justice.&nbsp; The prime minister said security forces and civilians had made significant sacrifices in the fight against terrorism. He also prayed for the victims and called for the recovery of those injured.

Security personnel inspect the blast site after a suicide attack in the Sarai Naurang area of Pakistan’s Lakki Marwat district on May 12, 2026. (AFP)

Security

Security forces cordon off the area and launch a search operation following the explosion, officials say.

Seven martyred in roadside bombing in Pakistan's KP province

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China agreed&nbsp;to strengthen rapid response mechanisms against terrorism and crime while expanding police training exchanges between the two nations, according to an official statement. &nbsp; Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Xiaohong, reached an understanding during talks in Beijing that covered counterterrorism cooperation and security collaboration. The countries established a framework requiring their Joint Working Group to convene quarterly, with interior ministers meeting annually. Wang praised Pakistan&#39;s counterterrorism efforts and security measures protecting Chinese nationals and projects. China values Pakistan&#39;s sacrifices in combating terrorism, he stated. The ministers discussed sister-city cooperation between Islamabad and Beijing and approved a joint strategy to improve training for police and security personnel. Naqvi talked about information sharing between security institutions through training programs. He told Wang that protecting Chinese nationals and joint development projects remains Pakistan&#39;s top priority. He stated that the government is establishing a special protection unit in Islamabad. Pakistan seeks Chinese assistance in combating cybercrimes and wants to leverage Chinese expertise to strengthen its National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency, Naqvi said. He stated that AI-based Chinese technologies could significantly aid Pakistan&#39;s counterterrorism and security operations. The Pakistani interior minister invited his Chinese counterpart to visit Pakistan. Meanwhile, Wang invited Naqvi to the Global Security Cooperation Forum in China to be held in September this year.

The countries established a framework requiring their Joint Working Group to convene quarterly, with interior ministers meeting annually.

China offers AI technology to Pakistan in expanded security partnership

ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh is intensifying preparations for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad or general election, scheduled for Feb. 12, with the Election Commission (EC), police, and expatriate voting systems taking key measures to ensure a smooth electoral process, according to reports by state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS).&nbsp;According to the EC, a total of 13,07,095 voters have registered to cast postal ballots ahead of the national elections and an accompanying referendum.&nbsp;&lsquo;Postal Vote BD&rsquo;Registration is being done via the &ldquo;Postal Vote BD&rdquo; app for expatriates, election officials, polling staff, and government employees residing outside their constituencies.&nbsp;Of the registered voters, 11,22,287 are men, and 1,84,806 are women.&nbsp;Among expatriates, Saudi Arabia has the largest number of registrants at 223,609, followed by Malaysia (76,660), Qatar (73,468), Oman (51,163), and Kuwait (33,607).&nbsp;In-country postal votes account for 5,84,347 registrations, with Cumilla, Dhaka, and Chattogram recording the highest district numbers.&nbsp;At the constituency level, Feni-3 leads with 15,164 registrations, followed by Chattogram-15 (12,740) and Noakhali-1 (12,612).&nbsp;Over 0.5m postal ballots dispatchedOver the past two weeks, 581,689 postal ballots have been dispatched to expatriate voters in 75 countries, including 187,443 ballots to Saudi Arabia, 66,577 to Malaysia, and 64,700 to Qatar.&nbsp;The EC has extended the registration deadline until Jan. 5, allowing expatriates, government employees, election staff, and legally detained voters to participate.&nbsp;Nomination papers for Dhaka constituencies&nbsp;Meanwhile, the EC has initially approved 119 and cancelled 54 nomination papers for candidates contesting 13 Dhaka constituencies.&nbsp;Most disqualifications were due to mismatched signatures, loan defaults, or missing affidavits, while party-backed candidates&rsquo; nominations were rejected for missing signatures from authorized officials.&nbsp;Aggrieved candidates can appeal between Jan. 5 and 9.&nbsp;Security and law-and-order preparations are a major focus ahead of the polls. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali said maintaining peace over the next 40 days is critical for a fair election.&nbsp;Extensive officer reshuffling has been carried out to ensure operational neutrality, while high-threat candidates, including election commissioners, have been provided with security personnel.&nbsp;The commissioner added that ongoing investigations, such as the killing of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi, are under review, with video evidence being examined.

Bangladesh

With postal ballots being dispatched to expatriates worldwide, nomination scrutiny ongoing, and security measures being taken, Bangladesh is steadily gearing up for a nationwide vote.

Articles tagged with "Security Measures"

Seven martyred in roadside bombing in Pakistan's KP province

China offers AI technology to Pakistan in expanded security partnership

Bangladesh prepares for February 12 elections with postal voting, security measures