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Road between KP and Punjab remains closed after suicide attack at Dajil checkpost in Bhakkar

PESHAWAR: The main highway linking Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab remained closed on Wednesday following a suicide attack at the Dajil checkpost near the Dera Darya Khan bridge in Punjab’s Bhakkar district, causing hardship for commuters and traders on both sides of the inter-provincial border.

The attack occurred on Tuesday at around 7pm when a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the checkpost, located a short distance from the bridge connecting Dera Ismail Khan with Punjab. CCTV footage reportedly showed the attacker approaching the post before carrying out the blast.

Two police personnel were martyred in the explosion, while four others sustained injuries. All injured personnel were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, where their treatment is ongoing.

Following the attack, security was placed on high alert in both DI Khan and Bhakkar districts. Punjab police sealed the road near the Dera Darya Khan bridge and suspended all traffic as a precautionary measure, while a search operation was launched in the surrounding areas.

The continued closure of the inter-provincial route has caused significant inconvenience to travelers and transporters. Vehicles remained stranded for hours, and passengers were forced to seek alternative routes at additional expense.

The disruption comes days after the same route remained blocked for several days due to protests by the PTI, which had already affected the movement of goods and people.

Traders in DI Khan said repeated closures had disrupted supply lines from Punjab, particularly from Lahore and other major commercial centres.

President of the Markazi Anjuman-i-Tajiran, Sohail Ahmed Azmi, said the prolonged suspension of traffic was compounding the difficulties faced by the business community. He warned that with Ramazan underway and Eidul Fitr approaching, any further delay in the transportation of goods from Punjab could result in financial losses and possible shortages in local markets.

Azmi urged the regional police authorities in Bhakkar to restore traffic after conducting necessary security checks, stating that while security concerns were understandable in the aftermath of the attack, the extended closure of the highway was adding to public hardship.

Officials have yet to announce when the route will be reopened.

KP has seen a rise in terrorist attacks in the past year. According to the Annual Security Report 2025 from the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS), KP recorded a significant surge in violence last year as “fatalities rose from 1,620 in 2024 to 2,331 in 2025”.



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