����ֱ��

PESHAWAR: Two suspected militants were killed and several others injured during an attack on a police station in Pakistan’s restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said on Saturday.

Pakistan has struggled to contain a surge in militancy in the province in recent years, with militants belonging to the Pakistani Taliban, also known as the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), frequently targeting convoys of security forces, police stations and check-posts besides kidnapping government officials in the region.

Muhammad Alam, the public relations officer for the Peshawar police chief, said an intense exchange of fire broke out between police and militants in the early hours of Saturday after the Hassan Khel police station came under attack on the outskirts of Peshawar.

“The police demonstrated remarkable resilience engaging the terrorists in a fierce battle that lasted for over two hours,” he told Arab News.

“Two terrorists were killed while several others are believed to have sustained injuries,” he continued. “The terrorists fled the scene abandoning their dead accomplices.”

A clearance operation is currently underway with a heavy presence of police in the area.

The attack in Peshawar took place a day after a group of militants targeted a police training facility in Dera Ismail Khan, which, according to a statement by the Pakistani military, claimed the lives of six policemen, five suspected militants and a prayer leader.

Militant attacks across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have surged since November 2022, when a fragile truce between the TTP and the Pakistani government collapsed.

At least 75 policemen were killed in ambushes and targeted attacks in the province last year, according to police data.

In recent months, Islamabad has repeatedly accused India of backing militant groups and Afghanistan of permitting the use of its soil for attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi have denied the allegations.

Earlier on Friday, the Afghan defense ministry warned Pakistan of consequences after accusing it of violating Afghan airspace to bomb a border town.
 

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday the government wants to promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to drive economic growth, as he constituted a high-level steering committee to oversee its adoption across sectors.

Pakistan has already launched an AI-based Customs Clearance and Risk Management System (RMS) to improve tax collection, cut human intervention and make customs operations more transparent and efficient.

It has also announced digital upgrades at the southern ports to integrate AI for managing congestion, accelerating cargo processing and boosting exports.

“The government is working on a priority basis to promote information technology and artificial intelligence,” Sharif said, according to an official statement released after he presided over a meeting. “We want to use artificial intelligence for the development of the national economy.”

The statement said the national policy on AI would be implemented effectively and that responsible use of the technology and data protection would be ensured.

The prime minister directed the formation of an AI Steering Committee to promote and implement the technology nationwide.

Officials briefing the meeting said a panel of experts would also be established to advise on AI deployment and regulatory safeguards.

“The implementation of the digital economy will be made more effective through artificial intelligence,” Sharif siad during the meeting.