Appearing from Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, Muzaffarabad & Quetta

Thursday, January 21, 2010, Safar 5, 1431

ANP MPA injured in bomb blast

Tariq Saeed

Peshawar—A ruling party parliamentarian and three members of his personal staff were among the five injured in a remote controlled road side blast in the provincial metropolis Wednesday morning.

The explosion occurred when the vehicle of Awami National Party MPA Aurangzeb Khan was targeted through a remote control device on Dalazak road closed to main Ring Road while the law maker was on his way to office from his residence around 12.40 p.m. While the vehicle was badly damaged in the blast, Aurangzeb, his official body guard, a cop, driver and the MPA’s personal secretary sustained serious injuries. The security personals and the rescue teams rushed to the spot where the law enforcers cordoned off the area.

The injured were immediately shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) for treatment where the medics operated upon the MPA and his body guard who were later declared out of danger.

“The bomb was planted on a road side close to the residence of MPA at Sheikh Jalaal Colony that created seven feet deep crater on the ground”. The officials said while the Dr. Abdul Hameed Afridi, Chief Executive Lady Reading Hospital said “the ANP parliamentarian and his body guard sustained injuries on head and other parts of the body but their condition is out of danger”. .

Party sources said the MPA was on his way to participate in the death anniversary of late Khudai Khidmatgar Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan alias Baacha Khans (22nd) and Khan Abdul Wali Khan’s (4th) observed here at Nishter Hall.

MPA Aurangzeb Khan’s elder brother Alamzeb Khan MPA, it may be mentioned, was also assassinated in a bomb explosion in Peshawar city on February 2009. Aurangzeb Khan was then elected to the provincial assembly in a by-election from PF-1 constituency which was vacated after assassination of his brother Alamzeb Khan.

While the officials and the ANP leadership said the MPA was attacked by the terrorists who wanted to destabilize the region, independent sources did not rule MPA Aurangzeb Khan and his brother Alamzeb Khan, killed last year, falling prey to the personal enmity.

The DCO Peshawar in his report said that at about 1:00 PM as a result of a planted blast under a culvert on branch road leading towards the residence of Aurangzeb Zeb Khan MPA at Ring road, Dalazak Colony, five persons including MPA sustained injuries who have been shifted to Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar.

On receipt of the information, the DCO reached the spot; the car of MPA has badly been damaged and power supply main HT Line has also got damaged.

In the meanwhile the NWFP Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti has said that anti state terrorists are destabilizing the country and consider ANP and the provincial government as major hurdles in the path of their heinous agenda. He expressed these views while talking to media men after inquiring about the health of MPA Aurangzeb khan and other injured at Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar.

“They have once again cowardly attacked ANP and targeted MPA of ANP Aurangzeb Khan but God Almighty is superior to them and Aurangzeb Khan is steadily recovering”. Said the chief minister adding “we need to fight these terrorists collectively and to flush them out. We have paid heavy price in this war for survival of the country and are still paying.” Adding that, “leaders and workers of ANP will consider the huge sacrifice as an honor for them.”

The chief minister paid rich tributes to the spirit of mother of Aurangzeb Khan who expressed commitment on behalf of her family for rendering more and more sacrifices in this war for survival of the country. He said this spirit is enlivened in the hearts of every Pukhtoons mother, father, son and children adding that we will win this war at any cost.

Editor Foreign Affairs:

Editor:

Executive Editor:

GM Marketing:

Karachi

Lahore

Peshawar