- LRH spokesperson says 53 injured in ICU in stable condition
- KP observes one day of official mourning across province
- IGP order to probe how bomber managed to avoid security checks
PESHAWAR: The death toll rose to 100 on Tuesday, a day after the suicide blast that rocked a mosque in Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines in Peshawar as more dead bodies were dug out from the rubble on the blast site.
According to the spokesman of Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Muhammad Asim, until now 100 dead bodies had been received from the Peshawar mosque blast site.
He informed that until now there were 53 injured of the blast, admitted to different wards of the hospital including seven in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), adding that most of the injured were in stable condition.
He said that free-of-charge medical treatment, surgeries, tests, and medicines were being provided to the injured at the hospital.
Meanwhile, Director General Health Dr Sahib Gul Khan visited LRH and inquired after the health of the injured policemen.
He went to every injured person and directed the hospital administration to provide best medical facilities to them. He also prayed for the early recovery of the injured.
Injured cops unfazed by terror
Meanwhile, the policemen injured in the deadly blast at the mosque on Tuesday expressed the resolve to continue the fight against terrorism and extremism to protect the motherland from the menace.
Constable Ibrahim Khan of the Telecommunication Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, under treatment at Orthopedic Ward of the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), said despite the horrific suicide bombing on peaceful worshipers, including policemen, he was eagerly waiting to rejoin his duty soon after discharge from the hospital.
Despite having deep shell wounds on the shoulders, neck and right leg, Ibrahim was not worried about his health, rather inquiring about his colleagues, who were present in the mosque at the time of the blast.
“It was a cowardly act as the terrorists targeted innocent and unarmed civilians and policemen while offering Zuhr prayer,” he said. “It gave me enormous courage and strength to fight the enemy of the country as well as his colleagues more vigorously.”
“I fell unconscious as a result of the blast. I can only remember hearing Allah-o-Akbar by the Imam (prayer leader),” Ibrahim Khan, who has served in the KP Police for 22 years in different districts, recalled.
“I along with my old friends Assistant Sub-Inspector Muhammad Rizwan, Inspector Douran Shah, and Constable Muhammad Naeem came to the mosque for Zuhr prayer. My friends were in the front row while I was in the middle when the huge explosion occurred, martyring two of my colleagues along with many others.”
With teary eyes, he said the desire of his colleagues for ‘Shahadat’ (martyrdom) was fulfilled while “I am also looking forward to laying down my life for the motherland”.
“The inhuman coward bomber, who had no religion, attacked the peaceful worshipers, the majority of whom were unarmed policemen as he (the attacker) had no guts to face them in direct encounter,” he added.
Ibrahim said he had six children, who were also ready to sacrifice their lives for safeguarding the country’s interests.
Assistant Professor Orthopedics at LRH, Dr Shoaib Ahmad said that Ibrahim Khan was out of danger after successful surgery to remove shrapnel from his shoulders and right leg.
Constable Jahangir Khan, who also wounded in the blast, said his father always advised him to face the danger from the front, adding his father’s desire was fulfilled. “Martyrdom was my wish, however, Allah Almighty saved me in this deadly attack,” Jahangir said. “However, Allah has given me another chance and whenever the need arises, I will never hesitate to sacrifice my life for my country that gives us everything,” he vowed.
Dr Shoaib said that Jahangir Khan’s condition was not out of danger as he received critical wounds in his head, legs and chest and the next 48 hours were important for his life.
Head Constable Muhammad Shahid said that such cowardly incidents could not shatter our resolve to fight the menace of terrorism with full might. “I believe that life and death are decided by Allah Almighty and all our martyrs’ of the police force live in our heart and mind and their sacrifices would not go in vain.”
Professor Dr Muhammad Shoaib said that currently 17 injured of the KP police were being treated at LRH’s orthopedics ward and surgeries of the majority injured cops were performed successfully. The condition of all admitted cops except Jahangir Khan was out of danger and one cop Yasir Ameen was discharged today.
According to KP police spokesman, so far 92 people, most of them policemen, have been martyred and around 80 injured who were being treated in different hospitals of Peshawar.
The martyrs also included the prayer leader Sahibzada Noorul Ameen, Inspectors Dauran Shah and Irfan Khan, ASI Rizwan and others whose collective funeral prayer was offered at Malik Saad Shaheed police lines last night and laid to rest in their native areas with grief and sobbing.
Rescue operation completed
Bilal Faizi, spokesman for Rescue-1122 told the media that search and rescue operations in the collapsed mosque have been completed after shifting of 146 victims including 54 martyrs and 94 injured besides retrieving about 17 dead bodies from the mosque’s rubble.
‘Probe, how bomber entered mosque’
Muazzam Jah Ansari, IGP KP, directed police investigators to carryout expeditious investigation into the blast and probe how the suicide bomber sneaked into Police Lines mosque without being detected.
Talking to police officers, the IGP also sought a report about security laps and was told that the suicide bomber might have joined the people entering for Zuhr prayer in mosque. Strict action would be taken in case of security lapse on part of security staff.
“The Police Lines blast was a serious security breach and complete investigation was required to determine whether the bomber was present in the police line or facilitated by some insider to target police cops in the mosque located in the red zone,” said former IGP, Syed Ikhtar Ali Shah while talking to the media.
He said the capacity building of anti-terrorism bodies including CTD and police investigators besides strengthening the intelligence system was required to defeat terrorism.
PML-N KP accuses PTI of lackluster approach
Ikhtair Wali Khan, PML-N KP spokesman, accused PTI’s government of its lackluster approach by not meeting the overall requirement of the Counter-Terrorism Department and Police, especially in terms of equipment and training etc.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has cancelled all his official engagements as soon as he heard of the blast and rushed to Peshawar to inquire after the health of injured victims at LRH,” he said.
The Prime Minister attended a high-level law and order meeting in Peshawar and assured to enhance the capacity of anti terrorism institutions and police force, full implementation of the national action plan (NAP) and strict punishment to the miscreants and their facilitators.
Ikhtair Wali said the Prime Minister has passed a strong message during his visit that nefarious designs of terrorists would be thwarted with full might with the cooperation of state institutions and the people of Pakistan.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had united all the national and stakeholders after APS deadly attack in 2014 in Peshawar and devised a comprehensive national action plan in consultation with all political parties and relevant authorities, and speedy courts were established that greatly helped curb terrorism in the country.
One day mourning
To express solidarity with the blast victims and condemn the horrific bombing, the KP government has observed one day of official mourning in the province where the national flag was kept at half mast at all government and private buildings.
The people continued to gather at the residences of the martyrs and offered Fateha with bereaved families and expressed solidarity with them. Overall a gloomy day prevailed in KP especially in Charsadda, Nowsehra, Swabi, Mardan and Peshawar from where most of the martyred cops belonged to. People of all walks of life including ministers and former lawmakers besides civil society strongly condemned the horrific bombing and visited LRH to inquire after the injured cops.
Live video footage showed people scrambling to hospitals to identify the dead and tend to the wounded.
According to reports, a suicide bomber detonated explosives during the afternoon prayers and the roof of the mosque collapsed on those inside.
Security agencies say they do not know how the bomber managed to enter the area, which is protected by a series of checkpoints manned by police and military personnel. Defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the bomber was standing in the first row in the prayer hall when he detonated his explosives.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, amid a worsening security situation in the country.
The police headquarters in Peshawar is in one of the most tightly controlled neighbourhoods of the city, housing intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus, and is next door to the regional secretariat.
Provinces around the country announced they were on high alert after the blast, with checkpoints ramped up and extra security forces deployed, while in Islamabad, snipers were deployed on buildings and at city entrance points.
The drastic security breach came on the day United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had been due to visit Islamabad, although the trip was cancelled at the last minute due to “bad weather.”
Pakistan is also hosting an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation as it works towards unlocking a vital bailout loan to prevent a looming default.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the blast as “abhorrent”, and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken extended his condolences for the “horrific attack”.
The authorities have vowed to investigate the bombing and bring the perpetrators to justice.
