Peshawar: Pakistan’s worsening law-and-order crisis was once again laid bare after a serving police constable was shot dead in broad daylight in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, raising serious questions about the state’s ability to protect even its own security personnel.

According to local police, Constable Mohammad Ismail was attacked by an unidentified gunman at Badwan Bridge in the Chakdara area of Lower Dir district on Thursday. The officer suffered critical gunshot wounds and was rushed to hospital, where he later died during treatment.

The shocking killing underscores the deepening security breakdown in a country where terrorists, militants and armed criminals continue to operate with alarming impunity. If uniformed policemen can be hunted down while on duty, ordinary citizens have little reason to feel secure.

Mohammad Ismail was laid to rest with full state honours in the presence of District Police Officer Furqan Bilal and Deputy Commissioner Basharat Ahmad, but the ceremony also served as a grim reminder of the growing dangers faced by Pakistan’s frontline security forces.

In a separate incident, security forces claimed to have eliminated a wanted terrorist identified as Kharji Khalil during an operation in Tank district. However, such operations have done little to stem the relentless wave of violence that continues to plague the province.

For years, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has remained a hotspot for terrorism and extremist activity. Attacks on police stations, security convoys and government personnel have become increasingly frequent, exposing glaring weaknesses in Pakistan’s counter-terrorism strategy. Despite repeated promises from Islamabad, militant violence continues to claim lives and undermine public confidence.

The murder of a police constable in broad daylight is yet another stark illustration of a nation struggling to establish control over its own security landscape—a reality that continues to cast a shadow over Pakistan’s claims of stability and effective governance.