Judicial Complex suicide attack: Another bloody day

Lady Reading Hospital calls in additional staff, security beefed up at gates.

PESHAWAR:

The Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) witnessed another surge of activity less than two weeks after a powerful bomb ripped through a crowded mosque near Meena Bazaar. Monday’s terror attack shook the Judicial Complex, claiming four lives and injuring scores of people.

At 12:20pm the attackers opened fire at a police check post and hurled a hand grenade to breach the security walls to enter the complex. One suicide bomber was gunned down by the police before he could reach his target, while the second successfully managed to reach the second floor and detonate his vest inside court room nine.

Additional Sessions Judge Kulsoom Azam was hearing a case in the court room when the bomber blew himself up in front of it. The judge, however, remained unhurt.

Soon after the attack, the administration of LRH imposed an emergency in the hospital and called in additional staff of doctors, nurses and paramedics. All gates of the hospital were heavily guarded by police and visitors were subjected to strict checks.

While many people were searching for their relatives, a number of judges and lawyers were seen searching for the additional session judge, with many speculating on where she might be admitted, unaware that she had not been hurt.

“I had come to meet my friends in the Judicial Complex. Suddenly I heard firing and ran to a nearby room to hide,” said Sohail Khan who sustained injuries on his arm.

An eyewitness, Nizamuddin, said the armed men first opened fire at the police, which created panic and people ran to save their lives. He said he had relatives with him, but could not find nor contact them following the incident.

“Everybody is searched when entering the main gate, why wasn’t the police prepared for an attack like this?” he questioned.

Peshawar Assistant Commissioner Habibullah Arif confirmed the death of four persons, adding some of the injured are in critical condition.

A few of the injured were identified as Advocate Ishfaq Khan, Advocate Nasir Khan, Advocate Shah Faisal, Mian Aziz Ahmad, Abdus Saboor, Amanullah Khan, Anwar Khan, Azizullah, Ishfaq Ahmad, Jamil Raza, Muhammad Abbas, Nasir Khan, while the dead include Syed Jalal and Abdul Majid, a clerk at the bar association. The identities of the two other deceased persons could not be ascertained till the filing of this report.

This is the third attack of its kind in Peshawar. In December 2009, Sessions Court on Jail Road came under an attack which left two dead and several others injured. In November 2009, a suicide bomber tried to enter District Court on Khyber Road, but blew himself up when intercepted by the police.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2013.