Tariq Saeed Peshawar
Terror –hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continued to be under attack as a deadly explosion, believed to be a suicide in nature, ripping through the workers convention of Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) in tribal district Bajaur, bordering Afghanistan, Sunday afternoon left at least 40 people dead and over 200 seriously wounded. The death toll is feared to go much higher as the condition of scores of injured have been stated critical.
The dead include the local JUI chief while a cameraman of the Geo Television is among the critical injured. The Sunday’s blast has drawn wide condemnation and raised question over the law and order in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the JUI head and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) president Maulana Fazl ur Rehman who is currently on a foreign visit demanded of the
Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif to conduct a high level inquiry into the explosion.
Reports reaching here from Bajaur said a workers convention of the JUI of Maulana Fazl ul Rehman was in progress in the Khar Tehsil of Bajaur tribal belt when a powerful explosion rocked the gathering around 4pm in the afternoon causing devastation in the venue leaving many hundreds people seriously wounded. The security personnel and the rescue teams that cordoned off the area immediately shifted the victims to the DHQ hospital Khar, Timergarah hospital and other medical facilities where the doctors have confirmed at least 40 people succumbed to their wounds. The army personnel also came to the aid of the rescue activities and around a dozen critically wounded injured were air lifted to Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar and CMH Peshawar through Army helicopters.
The explosion occurred in front of the NADRA office in the Sandiaye area of Khar, causing chaos in the convention where some 500 JUI activists were participating. While the security agencies say they are bent to determine the nature of the blast, the IG Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said the blast is believed to have been carried by a suicide bomber.
“The initial investigation revealed that it was a suicide attack”. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Inspector General of Police (IGP) Akhtar Hayat Khan confirmed adding the investigation teams are collecting more evidences from the site of the blast.
The hospital sources said that they received at least 35 dead bodies initially including JUI-F Khar’s head Maulana Ziaullah Jan and over 150 others injured. “Several of the injured are currently in critical condition, said the medics adding critically injured workers were airlifted to Peshawar for treatment. The provincial Minister health confirmed 40 dead bodies were brought to different hospitals. One of the injured includes Geo News cameraman Samiullah and has been shifted to the district headquarters hospital in Lower Dir as he is said to be in critical condition. The cameraman has sustained injuries on his head and his chest. IG Frontier Corps (FC) Major General Noor Wali Khan has reached Bajaur to supervise the situation. Meanwhile, CMH Peshawar has also been put on an alert and a rescue operation by the security forces and other law enforcement agencies is underway.
JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is currently on a foreign visit, contacted Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and KP Caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan on phone and demanded to carry out an immediate inquiry into the incident. Condemning the blast, Fazl prayed for the health of the injured and the higher ranks of the deceased. He also urged the party workers to reach to the hospital and donate blood. He asked the JUI workers should remain peaceful asking the federal and provincial governments to provide the best treatment to the injured. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has condemned the Bajaur blast targeting JUI convention in strong words and sympathized with the victim’s families. Prime Minister’s Office said that PM Shehbaz has issued directives to investigate the incident and identify those who are responsible.
Hafiz Hamdullah, a senior leader of JUI-F, expressed his deep concern and urged the government to take urgent measures for the medical care of the injured victims.
Hamdullah raised questions about the performance of state institutions, as multiple blasts have occurred in the past in Bajaur. He called for a thorough judicial inquiry into the incident to uncover the truth behind the attack. “It is not the first blast that strikes JUI-F workers I excused myself from attending the convention due to my personnel meeting,” he said.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Ameer Siraj ul Haq also strongly condemned the bomb blast at JUI-F public gathering and said that the attack aims to create chaos in the country. He said that government has a responsibility to protect the lives and properties of all political leaders and citizens. Siraj ul Haq demanded to conduct a probe into the bombing incident and bring the culprits to justice.
Senior politicians including Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman and foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, PML vice president Maryam Nawaz KP governor Haji Ghulam Ali, Chief Minister Azam Khan and have strongly condemned the bomb blast and expressed condolences over the loss of precious lives in the terrorist incident.
The demanded the federal and KP governments bring the terrorists and their facilitators to justice and urged that the masterminds behind the terrorist attacks should be eliminated.
