Tariq Saeed
Peshawar
After a relative calm of a few months, the provincial metropolis of Peshawar was bathed in blood again when a powerful explosion at a madrassa Tuesday morning killed ten children. The dead were aged between seven to 15 years and around 125 others were seriously wounded. The medics at the City’s major hospital have described the condition of over a dozen kids as precarious fearing the death toll to go higher.
Officials said the powerful explosion ripped through a hall at a religious seminary at Dir Colony in the outskirts of city Tuesday morning playing havoc in the large compound where according to some reports 800 to 1000 kids were undergoing religious education. “Initial reports suggest an improvised explosive device (IED) was used in the blast with five to seven KGs of explosives with ball bearings. The blast ripped through the seminary at a time when Quran class was ongoing”. A Police official said whereas the Additional Inspector General (AIG) bomb disposal squad (BDS) Shafqat Malik said it was a time device blast that occurred in the center of the madrassa hall. Peshawar police Chief Muhammad Ali Gandapur said the explosion occurred at around 8:30 am. He confirmed that it was an IED blast in which five to seven kilograms of explosive material was used.
The law enforcers and the rescue teams rushed to the site of the blast and shifted the injured to Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar where a medical emergency was declared with medics and paramedics called to cope with the situation.
Witnesses say a man brought a bag inside the seminary, after which the explosion occurred. The spot of the explosion has been cordoned off with investigators collecting evidence.
The medics at the Lady Reading Hospital that is equipped with to deal the mass casualties, said the victims mostly between 7 to 15 years of age carried ball bearings wounds. “Most of those killed and injured were hit by the ball bearings and some were badly burnt”. A doctor said. While the hospital authorities confirmed ten deaths, they apprehended the death toll may go much higher as a number of minors were in critical condition. Inspector General (IG) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Sanaullah Abbasi has said that Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) nominated 36 suspects in the bomb blast incident at a seminary in Peshawar.
IG KP Sanaullah Abbasi, while talking to journalists today, expressed sorrow over the loss of lives in the powerful bomb explosion and said that he cannot share information due to sensitivity of the scenario, however, the investigation is underway and CTD nominated 36 suspects. He disclosed that few suspects have been arrested in Dir and Bajaur.
Abbasi said that around 4,000 seminaries are present in the provincial capital and there was no security threat to the seminary which the bomb explosion took place in Peshawar. He added that the police department had conducted a meeting yesterday after receiving a security threat.
In the wake of the Tuesday blast, the security has further been beefed up in Peshawar and other parts of the province.
KP provincial minister Yousafzai said the seminary staff and children were soft targets. “Terrorists always aim for soft targets. This area has been peaceful for a long time,” he said.
Special Advisor to KP CM on Information Kamran Bangash assured that the injured will be provided all medical facilities. “This is the second biggest terrorist attack after the APS tragedy.” He said adding there was no security officials posted at the seminary. “The National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) had issued a threat alert for religious schools,” he recalled.Prime Minister Imran Khan has strongly
condemned the incident and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. “I want to assure my nation that we will ensure that the terrorists responsible for this cowardly and barbaric attack are brought to justice as soon as possible”. The PM tweeted.
Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan has strongly condemned the incident of bomb blast at Dir Colony Peshawar and termed it as a brutal act on the part of the perpetrators. In a statement issued here the Chief Minister has said that targeting innocent children is an act of barbarism adding that the elements behind the incident would be brought to justice at all costs. He has directed the police high ups to investigate the incident from all aspects and bring the culprits to justice. Expressing his profound grief on the loss of precious human lives in the incident, Mahmood khan has prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls and early recovery of the injured ones. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has announced five lac rupees each for the family members of the martyrs and two lac rupees each for the injured ones.
Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz also condemned the attack and promised to “bury those with nefarious intentions to destabilize the country
