Peshawar mosque suicide blast claims 56 lives, over 194 others injured
PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD/LAHORE, Mar 04 (SABAH): At least 56 people were killed and more than 80 were injured when a powerful suicide blast ripped through in a mosque in Peshawar’s Kocha Risaldar area during Friday prayers.
According to official media 56 people were martyred and more than 194 injured in a blast at a mosque in Kocha Risaldar Qissa Khwani Bazar Peshawar on Friday.
Mohammad Asim, Spokesman of the Lady Reading Hospital, where victims have were brought, said they had received more than 30 bodies.
Speaking to the media, CCPO Peshawar Muhammad Aijaz Khan also confirmed the death toll of at least 30 and said that it was a suicide bombing.
He elaborated that according to initial reports, two attackers tried to enter the mosque. The police officers present on duty were fired at, which resulted in the death of one cop, while the other was seriously injured.
The blast inside the mosque occurred following the firing incident, he added. “Senior police officials have also reached the site,” the CCPO told the media.
The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) confirmed that the explosives used in the attack weighed around five to six kilograms and were homemade. Ball bearings and other shrapnel producing material was also recovered.
KP government spokesman Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif said at least 30 people had been killed in the explosion, which he said was a suicide bombing. He added that two terrorists were involved in the attack.
Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar Mohammad Ijaz Khan said one police official was martyred while Asim Khan, media manager of Lady Reading, said 30 bodies had been brought to the hospital so far.
The CCPO said that according to initial reports, two attackers tried to enter a mosque in the city’s Qissa Khwani Bazaar and fired at the policemen standing guard.
As a result, one policeman was martyred while another was critically injured, the CCPO said, adding that one of the attackers was killed in the gunfight. The remaining attacker then ran inside the mosque and detonated a bomb, he said.
Police official Waheed Khan told a foreign news agency that the explosion occurred as worshippers had collected in the Kocha Risaldar mosque for Friday prayers.
Later, talking to media at the blast site, Peshawar SSP Operations Haroon Rasheed Khan said the explosion was a suicide blast and that two policemen had been martyred in the attack.
He said there were two attackers but only one of them was a suicide bomber. The SSP also told the media there was no “threat alert”. He said it was premature to say anything about the explosives used in the attack. “Initial investigations are underway and we can share more information later,” he added.
Talking to media later in the day, Barrister Saif said security was provided to mosques as a “general rule”. He added that the administration had adopted security measures at this mosque as well, adding that such measures were always ensured during congregation prayers on Fridays. “Those martyred and injured in the attack would be given monetary assistance under the government’s special package,” he said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
A witness Shayan Haider had been 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.
Evidence has been collected from the site, according to a tweet by the Peshawar CCPO account.
At the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) emergency department, there was chaos as doctors struggled to move the many wounded into operating theatres. The hospital has been put on red alert and more medical personnel have been called to LRH, the spokesperson added.
A medical emergency was also notified in Peshawar district with all doctors and support staff at government health facilities and medical teaching institutions directed to remain on red alert.
According to locals, the area has a number of markets and is usually packed around the time of Friday prayers.
Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the deadly attack on the mosque and ordered efforts to provide immediate medical aid for the wounded. The premier also sought a report on the blast from the authorities concerned.
President Dr. Arif Alvi condemned the incident in a statement and expressed grief over the precious lives lost. He expressed sympathy with the families of the departed and also prayed for the recovery of the injured.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, too, condemned the blast and sought a report from the KP inspector-general of police.
The chief minister instructed the rescue workers to speed up the rescue operation and ordered provincial cabinet members to monitor the operations.
Former president of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, “Terrorists are the enemy of the country and nation, which have to be crushed,” Zardari said while praying for the quick recovery of the injured.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, in his condolence message, demanded immediate medical aid for the wounded.
Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo also issued a statement. “We stand with the aggrieved families. The sacrifices of the nation and security agencies are unforgettable,” he said.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed also condemned the attack, saying he had directed the provincial chief secretary and inspector general of police to submit a report. He expressed grief over the lives lost in the incident.
Sheikh Rashid Ahmed confirmed that it was a suicide attack but admitted that the ministry had no prior information about the attack. The minister also confirmed that a policeman deployed outside the mosque was killed when the terrorists opened fire before entering the worship place.
“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 in an interview with a private TV channel, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said that Peshawar suicide blast is a big incident and there was no threat alert about the incident, adding that this is a planned conspiracy to destabilize the country and foreign forces are involved in it. He said that Australian team is also present in Pakistan and this all has been done through a well planned plan. He said that many precious lives have been lost in the attack and many are injured. Sheikh Rashid said we had conducted meeting on Tuesday and there was no threat alert, adding that this was suicide blast. Sheikh Rashid said that we will tackle these things.
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.
PML-N President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif offered condolences to the families of those martyred in the attack. Strongly condemning the incident in a statement, Shehbaz said those who attacked worshippers could be “neither Muslims nor humans”. He also expressed concern over the “serious security conditions” in the country.
“Words can’t adequately condemn the sheer brutality. Terrorism continues to remain our foremost national challenge,” he added in a tweet later. “Heart-wrenching terrorist incident in Peshawar in which so many precious lives have been lost. Words can’t adequately condemn the sheer brutality. Terrorism continues to remain our foremost national challenge. Prayers & condolences are with the bereaved families!” Shehbaz Sharif tweeted.
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif also strongly condemned the incident, stating that the “return of the smell of explosives” in Pakistan’s cities was worrying.
“The peace that was established by sacrificing precious lives has been affected by incompetence,” she said referring to the current government. She prayed for the injured and the families of the martyrs.
PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said terrorists had “carried out an attack on humanity” by targeting innocent worshippers. He demanded that the government immediately arrest terrorist elements and their facilitators. The PPP chairperson said he was saddened by the non-implementation of the National Action Plan.
PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman echoed Bilawal’s sentiments, saying, “An attack on people praying is an attack on the heart of all morality!” She also criticised the government for its “inability to deal with the danger of escalating terrorism in the region”.
Provincial Minister Kamran Bangash also offered his condolences to the victims’ families, adding that he was on his way to the hospital. “May Allah bless the departed souls and grant sabr to their loved ones,” he tweeted.
German Ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schlagheck said he was heartbroken by the “act of horrific terror against worshippers in Peshawar”.
“My colleagues at the embassy and I stand in solidarity with the victims and their families in this difficult hour. Wishing quick recovery to the injured,” he said.
Meanwhile Emir Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan Sirajul Haq has said that blast in Peshawar is condemnable, adding that those who convert the worship places into murder places are worst then the animals. In a statement issued on twitter Sirajul Haq said that we share the grief of the heirs of the martyred persons and pray higher status in heaven for the martyrs and courage for the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss. Sirajul Haq also prayed for the early recovery of the injured persons.
Meanwhile Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan workers and Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan volunteers took part in the rescue and relief activities after the Peshawar mosque suicide attack. The injured were immediately shifted to the hospital and were also provided medical treatment. Meanwhile coffins and ambulances were arranged for the dead bodies.