Pakistan: Major terror attack thwarted near UN office

Two policemen were injured when militants attacked a check post in northwest Pakistan.

Militants attacked a check post at Poran in Shangla district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province early on Monday. Two members of a special police force were critically injured in the attack.

The militants escaped after policemen at the post retaliated.

The injured were taken to a nearby hospital.

In Peshawar, a major terror attack was foiled when a bomb disposal squad defused an improvised explosive device planted at the roadside near the UNICEF office at University Town.

Police officials said a passer-by noticed the IED and alerted the authorities.

The bomb disposal squad was called in to defuse the bomb.

Several national and international non-governmental organisation and United Nations organisations have offices in University Town.

Northwest Pakistan has witnessed a spike in violence by militants, ahead of the May 11 general election, which will mark the first democratic transition in the country's history.

Much of the violence has been blamed on the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which has threatened to attack election rallies of the Pakistan People's Party and Awami National Party.