Mohmand Agency suicide blast death toll swells to 36

Moving scenes as victims laid to rest; governor visits Anbar, distributes compensation cheques among families of the dead and injured; announces jobs for heirs of slain persons

GHALLANAI: The death toll from the deadly suicide bombing at a mosque in Anbar tehsil in Mohmand Agency rose to 36 as bodies were recovered from the rubble and some of the injured succumbed to their injuries.

Those killed in the explosion on Friday were laid to rest in their ancestral cemeteries in Anbar area amid moving scenes. Almost all the victims belonged to Payekhan village in Kharay Darra area in Anbar tehsil. Men and women visited the homes of the deceased to offer their condolences.

Gloom prevailed in Mohmand Agency, which in the past too suffered terror hits and saw the launching of military operations against the militants, who still seem to have the ability to strike at will. The latest terror attack fuelled concern about the situation.

Curfew remained enforced in Anbar and the adjoining Pandyali tehsil. The local people stayed indoors due to the restrictions on their movement. The curfew created problems for the tribespeople and disrupted routine life.  

As was the case on Friday, the local journalists were not allowed to visit the site of the explosion on Saturday. Journalists from outside Mohmand Agency were also denied permission to visit Payekhan village where the suicide bombing had taken place.

On Friday, 28 people were killed and 35 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber blew up by exploding his explosives-laden vest at the mosque in Payekhan.

 Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Iqbal Zafar Jhagra during a visit to Anbar expressed the determination to hunt down the extremists involved in the heinous act of terrorism and pursue them to their abodes.  

Addressing a jirga at Payekhan village, he announced provision of jobs to the heirs of the deceased persons and free treatment facilities to the injured.  

The governor offered fateha for the slain persons and prayed for the quick recovery of the injured.  

He distributed cheques worth Rs0.4 million among the family of each dead while Rs0.15 million was given to every injured person.

Later, the governor went to the Agency Headquarters Hospital in Khar in Bajaur Agency to inquire after the health of the injured.   

 He promised to share the cost of the reconstruction of the destroyed mosque.  

 Responding to the points raised by the local elders, the Governor announced steps for construction of a primary school and a link road in Payekhan village.   

 Meanwhile, Corps Commander Peshawar Lt Gen Hidayat ur Rehman visited the Agency Headquarters Hospital in Bajaur Agency to enquire after the health of the injured tribesmen.

 He presented bouquets and fruit to the wounded and prayed for their speedy recovery. 

Inspector General of Frontier Corps Major General Shaheen Mazhar Mehmood, Sector Commander North Brigadier Ziaul Islam and Political Agent of Bajaur Agency Amir Khattak accompanied the Corps Commander during his visit.

The Afghanistan-based militant group, Jamaatul Ahrar, had claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing. Its spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan had said that the attack was undertaken against the pro-government tribal lashkar, or armed force, formed by these villagers to fight the militants. Jamaatul Ahrar is a splinter faction of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and is headed by Abdul Wali aka Omar Khalid Khorasani, who also hails from Mohmand Agency.