Political agent’s office in Mohmand, judges’ vehicle in Peshawar come under attack; three women judges among injured; five militants, one soldier also killed in subsequent search operations; President, PM, others condemn attacks
GHALLANAI/PESHAWAR: Eight persons were killed as four suicide bombers mounted attacks in the Mohmand Agency and Peshawar on Wednesday, local and official sources said.
Seven people, including three Levies personnel and two civilians, lost their lives as a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the offices of Mohmand Agency’s political agent.The sources said five other militants were killed in a clash with the security forces in a search operation in lower Mohmand Agency while a soldier was killed in another suicide attack in Mousal Kor area on the boundary between the Mohmand Agency and Peshawar district.
In the first incident, the sources said that two militants carried out a suicide attack on the offices of the political agent in Ghallanai, the administrative headquarters of Mohmand Agency. They said the militants opened indiscriminate fire and hurled hand-grenades at the Levies personnel deployed at the main entrance to the sprawling government offices, including those of the political agent, other officials and line departments.
The sources said that the Levies personnel challenged and offered stiff resistance to the attackers and kept them engaged at the main gate. They managed to prevent the attackers from entering the offices of the political administration.
The sources said that a militant was killed in the exchange of fire that lasted for sometime while his accomplice, who was a suicide bomber, blew himself up near the main entrance to the compound housing the government offices. Some media reports said the suicide vest of one bomber exploded due to the firing of security personnel, while the other bomber blew himself up. The sources said that five persons, including three personnel of the Levies force and two civilians, were martyred in the blast while three Levies personnel and two children sustained injuries in the suicide blast.
The martyred Levies personnel were identified as Taj Alam Khan, Zar Said and Yasir Khan. The other two victims included a schoolteacher Pazeer Gul and a tribesman Tahir Khan. The injured Levies personnel included Shahrum Khan, Sheraz Khan and Hayat Khan while the wounded children were identified as Haris Masih and Moon Masih. The bodies and injured were taken to a local hospital.
Eyewitnesses told The News that the militants fired at the security personnel deployed at the gate with automatic weapons and hurled hand-grenades at them. “I heard a deafening sound after intense exchange of fire between the militants and Levies personnel deployed at the gate,” said an eyewitness.
The personnel of security forces and other law enforcement agencies reached the blast site soon after the attack and cordoned off the area. They conducted a search operation in the compound and surrounding localities and recovered and defused suicide vests and other explosives.
Senior civil administration and armed forces officials visited the blast site after the area was declared clear and issued necessary instructions to security agencies. Sources said that the security forces surrounded the hills in Sheikh Banda area near Ghallanai on the information about the presence of militants there and launched a search operation. They said the security forces killed five militants in a clash and recovered arms and ammunition from them. The law-enforcement agencies launched a search operation in parts of Mohmand Agency and clamped down a curfew in Ghallanai bazaar and other markets elsewhere in the tribal region. The Ghallanai bazaar and road remained closed for five hours due to the curfew.
Meanwhile, a soldier was martyred in another suicide attack. The attack occurred during a search operation in the Musal Kor area on the boundary between Mohmand Agency and Peshawar district. The sources said the suicide bomber blew himself up after he was encircled by security forces.
Security across the Mohmand Agency has been beefed up after the attacks. The bodies of the slain militants had been shifted to a hospital in Ghallanai.Meanwhile, one person was killed and four judges, including three women, were wounded when a suicide bomber rammed his motorbike into an official coach in the Hayatabad area of Peshawar.
There were threats of terrorist attacks in Peshawar for the last many days after which search operations were accelerated and checking at certain points was increased. It was after a while that Peshawar was hit by a suicide bomber.
“The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber who hurled his motorbike into the coach,” Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Sajjad Khan told The News. He added that one person was killed in the attack while four others were injured. The coach bearing registration number A-5998 was carrying civil judges back to their residential colony in Hayatabad’s Phase V locality from the local courts.
Heavy contingents of police rushed to the spot immediately after the explosion. The powerful explosion smashed windowpanes of the nearby houses and caused panic among the people.The blast badly damaged the front portion of the coach. Ambulances blaring sirens arrived at the spot to transport the injured to hospitals.
“The driver of the coach Khursheed Khan was martyred in the attack while four judges, including three women, were wounded and taken to hospital,” Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Hayatabad Muhammad Shoaib Khan told The News.
The wounded persons were identified as Asif Jadoon, a judicial magistrate, and three women civil judges, Rabia Abbasi, Tehrima Sabahat and Amina Haider. An official of the Rescue 1122 said two passers-by, Zarmala and Asif Khan, were also among the injured.
According to ASP Hayatabad Muhammad Shoaib, around 15 kilograms of explosives were used in the attack.“The coach was the target of the bomber. He knew about the route of this vehicle and was probably chasing it,” he said.
Apart from senior police officials, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Member Provincial Assembly Shaukat Ali Yousafzai and other political leaders also arrived at the spot.PTI Chairman Imran Khan was scheduled to visit the nearby Hayatabad Medical Complex at 3:30pm to see the newly-acquired medical equipment and the improved facilities at the hospital. There was already a security alert in this area due to the visit of the PTI head and other leaders. Police were directed not to compromise on security of the PTI chairman and other leaders who normally travel without proper escort. The event at the Hayatabad Medical Complex was cancelled following the terrorist attack.
Hayatabad is a posh locality of Peshawar and its Phase V houses mostly government offices and residential colonies. The offices of the Peshawar Development Authority, FIA, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan Tobacco Board and other government departments are located in Phase V not far from the site of the suicide bombing. The Khyber Girls Medical College, Khyber Medical University, the privately owned Rahman Medical Institute, Northwest General Hospital, SOS Children Homes, Aziz Jan Learning Institute and Dost Foundation are also located in Phase V.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Bar Council and the Peshawar High Court Bar Association (PHCBA) announced boycott of courts all over the province today (Thursday) to protest the terrorist attack on the judges in Hayatabad. The PHCBA condemned the attack and asked the government to beef up the security of courts, judges and lawyers.
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack in Peshawar.
In a statement, the group also warned of further attacks. “We claim responsibility for the suicide attack on the vehicle of the judiciary,” it said. It identified the attacker as Sabir Swati.
President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar commiserated with the bereaved families who lost their loved ones in Mohmand Agency and Peshawar terror attacks.
In their separate statements, they said the nation was indebted to those who sacrificed their lives in foiling the terrorist bid. They said all possible measures should be taken to ensure security of life and property of the people by eliminating terrorism.
They prayed Almighty Allah to rest the departed souls in eternal peace and grant courage to the bereaved families to bear the loss with equanimity.
