PESHAWAR: The death toll from the suicide bomb blast in a mosque at Peshawar’s Police Lines surged to 95 while the number of injured people crossed 150, according to information released on Tuesday.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan has formed a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the suicide attack. The announcement was made at a joint press conference by the chief minister and KP Inspector General of Police (IGP) Moazzam Jah Ansari a day after the attack at a mosque in the Peshawar.
The chief minister confirmed that 95 people had lost their lives, adding that a compensation package was being prepared for the victims of the terrorist attack. The caretaker Punjab government on Tuesday dispatched medical teams to assist the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administration in treatment of people injured in a suicide attack on a mosque in Police Lines area of Peshawar.
Punjab Health Minister Dr Javed Akram has sent the teams in line with the directives of interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi. He also held a telephonic conversation with Dr Amir Khan of Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital and offered to provide assistance.
A team of the Jinnah Hospital’s burn unit, which is led by Prof Kamran Khalid, has left for Peshawar where they will provide treatment to the injured people. The Punjab government will provide medicines and other medical facilities to the victims.
According to police, rescue sources and eyewitnesses, the suicide bomber standing in the first row blew himself up. The explosion took place around 1:40pm as Zuhr prayers were being offered. Initial reports said 27 of the deceased were policemen and a mosque prayer leader was among them. The explosion damaged the parts of the mosque. Panic gripped the area soon after the blast.
It was a powerful explosion, said eyewitnesses. There was smoke everywhere after the blast. Police and rescuers shifted the bodies and injured to the Lady Reading and other hospitals in the city. Emergency was imposed in Peshawar’s hospitals.
The administration of the Lady Reading Hospital appealed to the masses for blood donations to treat the injured. The authorities cordoned off the area while the law enforcement agencies personnel collected the evidence from the crime scene.
Caretaker Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Azam Khan imposed a medical emergency in all hospitals of Peshawar. He instructed rescue organizations to speed up relief activities. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, former president Asif Ali Zardari, former prime minister Imran Khan, former NA speaker Asad Qaiser and others have strongly condemned the attack.
The Lady Reading Hospital released the list of 30 people martyred during a suicide blast in Peshawar.
The martyred include: Inspector Doran Shah, Zohaib Nawaz of Dir Lower, Maqsood Ahmed, Rashida Bibi, Rafiq of Lakki Marwat, constable Naseem Shah, Liaqat of Charsadda, driver Amjad, Shehryar, Liaqat of Lakki Marwat, Mohammad Ali of Mian Gujar, Sahibzada, Zahir Shah, Tilawat Shah, Waseem Shah, Gul Ashraf, Hayatullah Khattak, Zubair, Abdul Hameed, Usman, Khalid Khan of Charsadda, Rafiq Khan, Inspector Irfan Khan, FC personnel Shahab of Charsadda, Abdul Wadud, FC personnel Ahmad Khan, Liaqatullah Shah of Lakki Marwat, Atif Mujeeb, Rizwanullah of Charsadda, and Hazrat Umer.
