—Civil, Military leadership extend condemnations
—Interior Minister admits no prior intelligence regarding attack
— Sees foreign forces behind blast
–PM seeks inquiry report
—Info Minister says Peshawar blast part of ‘big conspiracy’ against country
From Our Correspondent
PESHAWAR: At least 56 people were killed and nearly 200 others injured when a powerful suicide blast ripped through an imambargah in Peshawar’s Kocha Risaldar area during Friday prayers.
Mohammad Asim, spokesman of the Lady Reading Hospital, where victims have were brought, confirmed the death toll and said they had received more than 30 bodies.
He said condition of some of the injured is critical, adding that a large number of doctors and paramedic staff are busy treating the patients. Provision of medicine and availability of medical staff and blood supply has been ensured within the emergency department, Asim maintained.
Inspector General Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa said that it was a suicide attack and at least 150 ball bearings were used in the suicide vest. He added that the attackers were on foot when they attacked the police guards and the imambargah.
An initial report by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) confirmed that the explosives used in the attack weighed around five to six kilogrammes and were homemade. Ball bearings and other shrapnel producing material were used to maximise casualties among the worshippers.
CCPO Peshawar Muhammad Aijaz Khan, confirming the death toll, said two attackers were involved. The police officers present on duty were fired at, which resulted in the death of one cop, while the other was seriously injured, he added.
The blast inside the mosque occurred following the firing incident, said the CCPO.
Soon after the blast, a large contingent of law enforcement officials, including Pakistan Army personnel, reached the site and cordoned off the area.
The injured were shifted to Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital, where the condition of some victims is said to be serious.
Condemnations
Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the suicide attack at the imambargah located near the Qissa Khwani Bazaar area of Peshawar.
The premier also directed authorities to provide medical treatment to the injured and sought an inquiry report from the authorities concerned.
Federal Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, confirming that it was a suicide attack, admitted that the ministry had no prior information about the attack.
“No threat alert was received … we had a meeting a couple of days ago but no threat was received; we had no information about it,” the interior minister said.
A spokesperson of the ministry confirmed that “30 plus” people have so far lost their lives and over 50 people were injured.
The interior minister, while strongly condemning the terrorist incident, directed the chief secretary and IG KP to submit a report. He also expressed grief over the loss of lives due to the bomb attack and expressed sympathy with the families of the martyred worshipers.
Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, while condemning the Peshawar bomb blast, said that an investigation into the incident was underway and the public will be informed about the incident later on. He expressed grief over the loss of lives in the incident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
“Peshawar blast is part of a larger conspiracy,” said the information in a tweet and added that the country has fought such conspiracies in the past and, God willing, the enemies of Pakistan will fail again.
Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif condemned the suicide bombing and said those attacking worshipers can neither be called Muslims nor human beings.
He further that the deteriorating law and order situation in the country was a matter of concern, adding that he has maintained that the issue of terrorism needs serious consideration. “The return of terrorism is not a good omen for the nation,” the opposition leader said while expressing condolences and sympathy with the bereaved families.
Former President Asif Ali Zardari said that the attack would not have happened if “nurseries of terrorism had been destroyed”.
The former president, while condemning the incident, said terrorists were the enemies of the country and the nation and must be eliminated. While praying for the speedy recovery of the injured, Zardari reminded that there was still time to fully implement the National Action Plan.
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also condemned the terrorism incident in Peshawar in a separate statement, saying the terrorists attacked humanity by targeting innocent worshipers.
While demanding that the government must immediately arrest the terrorists and their facilitators involved in the incident, Bilawal regretted that there was no real implementation of the National Action Plan.
