Ishaq Khan
PESHAWAR: As many as 56 people were martyred including two policemen and 194 others were injured in a suicide bomb attack during Friday prayers at a mosque located in Kocha–e– Rasladar Chowk in Qisa Khwani Bazaar area of Peshawar city, on Friday.
The rescue teams reached the site and shifted the injured to the hospital after the deadly suicide attack.
Muhammad Asim, the spokesperson of the Lady Reading Hospital confirmed that the death toll in the mosque blast rose to 56, adding that 194 injured persons have been brought to hospital. Some of the injured persons are in critical condition, he added.
The rescue teams are facing problems in carrying out rescue and relief operations due to narrow streets in the Bazaar. An emergency has been imposed at Lady Reading Hospital.
At the emergency ward of Lady Reading Hospital, there was chaos as doctors struggled to move the many injured into operating theatres.
While talking to the media persons at the site of the blast, Inspector-General of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Moazzam Jah Ansari said that one hawaldar and a police constable were on duty outside the mosque for the security purpose.
IGP said that the terrorist was alone and had come to the mosque on foot.
“He targeted the two police personnel stationed at the mosque.”
Police Chief further said that the terrorist, after targeting the policemen, ran towards the mosque and the terrorist first opened fire at the worshippers after entering the mosque and then blew himself up.
IGP Ansari said that about five to six kilogrammes of explosives were used in the blast, which took place in the third row of the mosque.
Talking to the media, Advisor to KP Chief Minister Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif confirmed that the blast took place during the Friday prayers, adding the terroirst opened fire on the policemen and managed to enter the mosque and carried out the attack,
“Those martyred and injured in the attack will be given monetary assistance under the government’s special package,” Saif said.
While talking to journalist, Shayan Haider, a witness said that he was preparing to enter the mosque when a powerful explosion threw him to the street. “I opened my eyes and there was dust and bodies everywhere,” he said.
According to the Lady Reading Hospital officials, some of the martyred worshipers brought to hospital, were identified are prayer leader Irshad Khalili son of Ghulam Abbas; Musarat Khan; Asif son of Iqbal, Junior Clerk of Police Department; Akhtar Hussain son of Yaqoob of Counter Terrorism Department; Constable Jamill; Ilyas Hussain son of Yusuf Ali; Syed Akbar son of Manzoor Hussain Shah; Hussain son of Muhammad Qasim; Syed Musarat Hussain; Fahim Abbas; Aqeeq Bangash; Muhammad Ali son of Faqir Hussain; Anas Aghaz son of Mir Agha; Abdul Ali son Ghulam Ali; Riaz Ali Syed son of Mohib Ali; Baz Gul son of Hassan Gul; Raza Ali; Hasanain; Fateh Ali; Mujahid Ali; Mazhar Ali Kiyanil; Ali Agha; Arif Hussain; Musarat Raza; and Altaf Hussain.
Condemnations
Prime Minister Imran Khan has strongly condemned the terror attack and directed the administration to provide every possible facility to the injured of the blast.
He has also summoned a detailed report into the blast.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed strongly denounced the Peshawar mosque blast and said there was no prior threat alert issued for Peshawar.
Rasheed said we have a number of martyrs. He said international powers want to destabilize peace in Pakistan. Information is being gathered and detailed will be shared later.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari also vehemently condemned the bomb blast in Peshawar’s mosque and said: “Had the terrorists’ nurseries been eliminated, this incident would not have taken place.”
He added that terrorists were the enemies of the country and the nation, and they were needed to be crushed as an enemy.
He prayed for early recovery of the injured in the blast and stressed the need for implementing the National Action Plan in letter and spirit. He also sought stern action against the terrorists involved in the bomb blast and their facilitators.
The Embassy of United States (US) in Islamabad vehemently condemned the bomb blast inside a Shia mosque in Peshawar and termed it a ghastly and cowardly attack. US Charge d’affaires Angela Aggeler expressed condolences to the families whose loved ones were martyred in the bomb blast.
German Ambassador Bernhard Schlagheck also expressed his grief over the ghastly terrorist attack in Peshawar. He expressed deep condolences to the families of the martyred and said that he and all his colleagues in the German embassy prayed for early recovery of the injured.
The Embassy of France also condemned the bomb blast in Peshawar and expressed condolences to the bereaved families.
