Mardan suicide attack victims laid to rest amid tears

Lawyers boycott court proceedings; traders
pull down shutters to show solidarity with victims

MARDAN: The funeral prayers of those killed in the suicide attack at the district courts in Mardan were held in various parts of the district and the slain people were laid to rest amid moving scenes.

Gloom prevailed at the district courts where the suicide attack left 13 people dead and 52 others injured.

The site of the deadly attack was strewn with blood-stained shoes, chairs, tables and books of the lawyers. Several lawyers and litigants visiting the court complex in connection with their cases were silenced forever.

Even after 24 hours of the gory incident, pieces of windowpanes and dried human blood provided the picture of the destruction wrought by the deadly explosion at the Kutchehry, or district courts.

The walls of the verandah and the offices of the lawyers were pockmarked with holes due to the impact of the ball-bearings used in the explosives to cause maximum damage. The burnt human flesh could be seen sticking to the ceiling.

The entrance to the court was covered with a piece of cloth and the building was closed to visitors.

The funeral prayers of the three police constables Ishtiaq, Junaid and Mohammad Azam were offered at the Police Lines in Mardan. They were credited with blocking the suicide bomber from proceeding further towards the more crowded part of the Kutchehry.

The funeral of Awami National Party leader Arshad Khan was offered at the Fazl-e-Haq College Road. He had gone to the courts in connection with his cases.

A large number of ANP leaders and workers attended his funeral prayer.

The funeral prayer of another ANP leader Saeed Akbar Khan, who was a lawyer, was held at Shankar village located on the Katlang Road.

Meanwhile, the Counter-Terrorism Department registered a case of the terror attack.

The lawyers announced three days mourning and also to registered their protest against the suicide attack.

On Saturday, the lawyers boycotted court proceedings and offered Fateha for their slain colleagues at the bar room.

A large number of people belonging to different walks of life visited the bar room in Mardan and expressed grief and sorrow over loss of precious lives in the terror attack. 

Talking to The News, District Bar Association President Ameer Hussain said that three days of mourning had been announced to condemn the attack on the lawyers’ community. Ruling out any security lapse, he maintained that the security of the district courts had been beefed up prior to the attack.

Meanwhile, the traders pulled down shutters on the call of Markazi Tanzeem-e-Tajiran to show solidarity with the victims.

Most of those slain belonged to Mardan city and its suburbs. The victims also included persons from different villages of the district where funeral prayers were held and Fateha offered for the deceased.