Tragedy averted: Bomb defused near Mardan Press Club

MARDAN: Officials on Thursday defused a high intensity bomb that had been planted on Shamsi Road near the Mardan Press Club.

The station house officer (SHO) of the city police said that it seemed that the bomb had been planted to target the convoy of former national assembly member Haji Yaqoob and his son Ali Khan. They were returning after having attended a political meeting in Bari Cham area.

The tragedy was averted when a pedestrian walking through the area informed the police about a suspicious looking sack placed by the road side, officials told the The Express Tribune.

Another police official Noor Taj Gul said that after they received the information, police and bomb disposal officials rushed to the site. They cleared the area, stopped all traffic from passing near the suspicious sack. After toiling for an hour, officials defused the bomb.

Gul said that according to a BDS official as much as 15 kilogrammes of explosives were wired to blow. Even road remained blocked till the filing of the report.

Though the bomb had been defused, the road had not been reopened for traffic till the filing of this report.