An improvised explosive device (IED) targeted a vehicle of the police who were escorting 24 diplomats and their families. A policeman was killed and three others sustained injuries.

The diplomats were on an official visit to the Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa arranged by the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) in collaboration with the Swat Chamber of Commerce.

A list of the diplomats who were on the visit to Swat included: Ms Fatou Harerimana High Commissioner along with Lt.Col. Shayaka Kajugiro Ismail Defence Attache of Rwanda. Emin Cohodarevic Ambassador, Samela Cohodarevic spouse of the Ambassador, Adin Cohodarevic son of Ambassador of Bosnia and Herza. Manuel Frederico Pinheiro Da Silva Ambassador of Portugal. Sharifzoda Yusuf Toir Ambassador of Tajikistan, his spouse Sayora Sharifzoda, a son Muhammad Sharifzoda and a daughter Hameeda Bano. Abu Basutu Titus Mehliswa Jonathan Ambassador of Zimbabwe, Mr Atadjan N. Moghadam Ambassador of Turkmenistan and his spouse. Dr. Reza Amiri Moghadam Ambassador of Iran with his wife Ms. Azam Amiri. Mr. Jamal Berker Abdula Ambassador of Ethiopia with his spouse. Mr. Rahmat Hindiarta Kusuma Charge d’ Affaires Indonesia, his spouse Nimatul Mushoffa and his daughter Mawiya Mahranazad Hindiarta daughter. Mr. Yerzhan Kistafin Ambassador of Kazakhstan along with his spouse. Mr. Pham Anh Tuan Ambassador of Vietnam with his spouse Nguyen Bich. Albert Khorev Ambassador of Russia.

A Russian diplomat source said that their ambassador was part of the group that was attacked and is luckily safe, "he was shaken by the explosion," he said.

The Deputy Inspector General of Malakand Division, Muhammad Ali Gandapur told The Khorasan Diary that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device, most probably a remote-controlled bomb device. He also confirmed the casualties and injuries. “The attack targeted the police, no foreigners were hurt,” he said.

Senior Khyber Pakhtunkhwa officials say that Islamabad Chamber of Commerce directly approached Malakand Police regarding diplomats' movement & security arrangements, bypassing senior authorities in Peshawar, responsible for diplomatic engagements in the province. 

Another senior official from Peshawar said, “it was not out of the ordinary, most private entities do not know the protocols. However; the No Objection Certificate is provided by the foreign office”. 

The schedule submitted to the Malakand police for the diplomatic mission shows that they were to arrive in Swat on Sunday, September 22, 2023, around 12:00 pm in the afternoon and visit the Shingardar Stupa, have lunch at the White Palace and then end the day at Pearl Continental Malam Jaba Ski Resort. The schedule for Monday, September 23 included an interaction at the University of Swat and then finally leaving for Islamabad. The Swat police had dedicated thirty-six policemen for the protection of the foreign diplomats. The Subdivisional police officer of each area was made responsible for leading the teams and the bomb disposal unit was to sweep every route the vehicles travelled. 

“It’s unfortunate that despite all security measures an incident of this nature took place”, a senior security official said.

Diplomatic sources told The Khorasan Diary that two embassies Turkey and Spain refused to join the delegation highlighting security issues. 

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government ended the condition for NOCs for foreign tourists on January 8, 2024, through a notification.

However, there have been instances of violent attacks in the Malakand division and particularly in Swat where law enforcement officials have been targeted, almost all the attacks have been claimed by the Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Swat was one of the first districts where the TTP appeared when the ‘Peace Talks’ ended sparking widespread protests.

There were no claims for this attack till the filing of this story.