People gather around one of the blast sites in Parachinar on Friday. PHOTO: EXPRESS
PARACHINAR: At least 50 people were killed and 122 injured in two bomb explosions in the central market in the Shia dominated town of Parachinar, Kurram Agency, Express News reported.
Two bombs planted in motorbikes were reportedly detonated in the Shingak Bazaar and one near Zahran vehicle stand, killing at least eight people on the spot and injured more than 122.
The first explosion took place near a mosque in main market of Parachinar. Express News correspondent Ehtisham Khan said some eye witnesses suggested that the first blast was a suicide blast.
Residents from the nearby crowded markets rushed to shift the injured to the Parachinar headquarters hospital, where two of the injured succumbed to injuries. An emergency was declared in hospital.
"We can confirm the death of 41 people in the twin blasts. More than 150 others have been injured in the attack," doctor Sabir Hussein, head of the hospital, told AFP.
Parachinar Political Agent Riaz Mehsud said that most of the injured have been moved to Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Kohat and some will also be shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar.
"We have sent 20 critically wounded people to major hospitals in Peshawar and Kohat to save their lives," Hussein added.
Some sources said that the bombs used a timed device to detonate, while others suggested they were suicide bombs.
As many as 12 cars and several shops were also destroyed in the blasts.
Earlier on Friday, two people were killed when a road-side planted bomb hit a passenger vehicle in Pakistan’s northwest tribal region of Kurram Agency on Friday afternoon.
A total of three blasts in total occurred in Parachinar on Friday, killing at least 41 and injuring at least 122.
Parachinar has a significant Shia population that has previously been attacked by hardline Sunni militant groups.
Following the blasts, the religious group Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen has called for three days of mourning.
COMMENTS (52)
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the wrost condition of parachinar is just because of idps of parachinar
@turi: You people leashed the barrage of cruelty on parachinar sunnis in 2007!! Did you forget killing many innocents!!! This is pure war of Iran and KSA being fought in Pakistan!
pretty pathetic, the security apparatus seems busy in some other business...
@numbersnumbers:
He's implying guilt by association - US and Saudi Arabia are funding the opposition in Syria - the opposition in Syria has jihadists - TTP has joined those jihadists in Syria - therefore US and Saudi Arabia is funding TTP.
Saudi Arabia is the ideological godfather of most extremist beliefs, as well one of many Gulf Arab states that has funds flowing towards extremist religious groups in Pak, as well as the Al Qaeda linked Jihadists in Syria, but ironically are a strong US ally and also considered to have backed the Syrian opposition and turned a blind eye to the Gulf's support. He's assuming TTP's presence in Syria is not an accident...
There are holes in the conspiracist argument (unfortunately Shia Muslim Pakistanis are not immune), but the overall sentiment is that the US still patronizes a radical fundamentalist nation we consider a culprit in the sectarian cleansing in Pakistan.
paki's you have to set your priorities right guys for example see the most commented is a hillarious news about india people are commenting it made my day under such circumstances common guys take a break from india you have to get your house in order seriously and this happening in the month of ramazan shows how pious religious extremists are from a freindly indian
@Expaki you sir, are great.
@kaalchakra:
Babloo is not creating any false rift, and bluntly stating the situation. The rift is caused by the betrayal from the inside by insincere right-wing extremist folks such as yourself who support Wahhabi/Salafi/Deoband/Sunni militant terrorists such as the TTP, and make any and every excuse to downplay their atrocities. Bombing innocent people in the middle of a market in the holy month of Ramadhan is not a fight over economic issues, but ideological insanity.
@HowSad: And of course you can provide us references to support your claim that the US and Saudi Arabia are financing and supporting the TTP! In other words, CONFIRMED BY WHO?????
@Syed: not sunni, wahhabi/salafis. I know many good sunnis, most sunnis condemn attacks.
If the people, politicians, and military of this country had any conscience left, then they would have declared an emergency and a sense of urgency to tackle these militants. This nation has neither conscience nor guts to go after the militants. We are busy discussing Amir Liaquat Hussain, Tahir Shah, and Mathira. A Nation with dead conscience.
You can't negotiate with these animals. Basically, in this waiting game of negotiations and bad Taliban vs. Good Taliban, militants are getting bold and confident and evermore successful in attacking Pakistan from within.
@Ali Tanoli:
Also eye opening is the militants background are usually Wahhabi/Salafi/Deoband/Sunni extremists that have killed so many innocents, including other Sunni Muslims. It would be nice if the majority of Pak's population realized this instead of making up delusional conspiracy theories as mentioned by US Centcom's Abdul Qaddus above.
@expaki: The point?
Looking at the sustained rate of Shia genocide, I doubt they are still 22% of the population...
Shias unite and fight for your survival. We cannot be treated as second class citizens anymore.
@ Mr. Centcom, it's international news that a 1000 TTP Taliban mercenary fighters were dispatched to Syria to fight against Assad's regime. The TTP its been CONFIRMED, were sent with the collaboration and joint support and funding of the US and Saudi Arabia. In other news, TTP regularly claims responsibility of almost all the major suicide and targeted attacks currently being engineered within the state of Pakistan. I wonder what the connection is and I'm also amazed at how stupid you people think WE are
TTP and other Islamic fundamentalist’s organizations are such a shame for Muslims those are doing such kind of heinous and inhuman acts in the name of Islam
Babloo, please don't try to create a false rift between Muslims. There is no problem between Shias and Sunnis. These are fights over economic issues which have been exploited by outsiders like Indians and Americans.
As per Tribune's very own headlines, 41 people dead in Parachinar is not top news, but the death of the Spanish climbers is!!
@Aysha M: if all are terrorists then who will stop whom? if you are not terrorist then go and stop it.
over fourty thousand peoples been killed in Pakistan already by so called war on terror and most of those peoples were Sunni Muslims by faith.... and its a eye opening truth for @Syed and Ex paki murded.....
When will the Government and Army gonna decide that the threshold has been crossed. Pakistan has become a battle ground for secret agencies from all over the world. They never want to let peace develop in Pakistan & Afghanistan (Iran is following up too).
PMLN's honeymoon is surely over ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Bring the violence under control or sit with PPP.
.@Umar "'.In Pakistan you come across many people who harbour the violent and hate mindset. And trust me it is not limited to the illiterate people". The hate material included in school and colleges syllabus and taught during the last 30 years has contributed in a big way for the creation of this mindset. MS Zubaida Jalal, Education Minister in Musharraf Government made a lot of efforts to reform the syllabus but her action plan in this regard was torpedoed by PML(Q) government in the Centre and Punjab and MMA government in KPK
Pakistan Hindus/Sikhs were 22%. Shias are not even 22%. Turning the other cheek did not work for Pakistani Hindus. Why isn't Iran providing asulum to Pakistani Shias ?
First and foremost, I must send our sympathies and prayers to the families of all those who have fallen victim to these acts of terror. What is surprising is the audacity of readers who would still defend the terrorists as “professionals” and try to blame “BlackWater/ISI/RAW/Mossad” for these attacks. How do you let the obvious culprits off the hook? How do you bunch all four organizations from four different countries together? How do you ignore the fact that that are claiming responsibility and boasting about their crimes? Terrorists in Pakistan have been blatantly killing innocent civilians and proudly claiming responsibilities of these attacks. They do not even care about the sanctity of the holy month of Ramadan. Recently, Jen Psaki, Department of State Spokesperson, said: “The United States stands with the people of Pakistan in condemning such senseless and inhumane acts of recent bombings.” We commend the Pakistani security forces who are laying their lives down to protect the region. We hope to combine our strength and work together to negate the common threat.
Abdul Qaddus DET-United States Central Command
So PTI still wants to talk to TTP?
Great wall Of Pakistan is needed in Afghan border..........Afghans really hate us.....
This is not terror attack Innocent pakistani civilians fighting for their freedom.
Thank Hamid Gul for creating the friendly neighborhood Taliban and making militancy a way of life.
Inna lillahe wana inalahay rajoon can nobody stop these killings? PM, Chief Justice, Army Chief, nobody? My heart goes out to these innocent people May Allah bless all
Why don't Shias of Pakistan organize themselves politically to protect themselves ? Turning the other cheek, did not work for Hindus. From the daily news it appears that "Shia bombing, coming to a mosque near you" is the order of the day.
Religion of peace is there to destroy pakistan.Take example of egypt and bangladesh how they stood against islamist.Make ur constitution secular like india.
Another Syria in the making.
Waht and why you are doing Mr Army. When the security was in the hand of local resident(Alamadar federation). their was no blast. Now when the security in Army's hand. this is the 4th massive blast in parachinar in 2 years. I ask from the Army why you are playing with the innocent people's life of pakistan. Please go to your won hole. give security of city again to local. shame, shame.
I heard more concerned voices from country for killing of 4 in Jammu and Kashmir then this small incident
Pakistan rocks.........keep it up.
@Syed: "If you don’t like it then disassociate yourself from these killers". Syed Sahib, I am not only Expaki, but also a ex muslim too.
Check posts at every two miles of radius, body searching, vehicle searching and ID checking on every individual (both men & women) coming and leaving city of Parachinar and yet such tragic incident happen is beyond our imagination. Do we really think that this was done alone by sunni terrorist laskers without help of our security forces. We are not the Hazara's to sit and protest on killings of our innocent bothers. We will strike with full force and hit where it hurts the most. Their blood will not go in vain.
terrorists are nobody's friends. They deserve to be destroyed- by drones,PAF or Pakistan army or all together
Do the perpetrators of this act of sectarian violence targeting co-religionists not know that today happens to be the day of the Friday sabbath during the holy month Ramadan making this a most egregious act of violence.
@Umer: Parachinar is in FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) - not KPK. Stop bashing PTI for everything.
It is baffling that Pakistan, a country claimed to have been founded to provide a safe haven for the Muslims of the Indian Sub-Continent, sees such high levels of violence pitting Muslim against Muslim over religious doctrinal differences. Why not just live and let live?
@farwa...you are the manifestation of what is going wrong with this country. We are just not prepared to acknowledge that these people are homegrown. In Pakistan you come across many people who harbour the violent and hate mindset. And trust me it is not limited to the illiterate people. Wake up and smell the coffee before you are next on their list for not being extremist enough.
In no civilized country, a sub-sect is attacked like in Pakistan. Are drone strikes not better than this inhuman killings?
I have no words to express sorrow and grief on this inhuman action after which certain terrorists organization will claim responsibility gladly after killing innocent people.
What do these terrorists wants from Pakistan?
It seems that after PPP, PML(N) government has also failed in controlling the terrorism.
Where is Chaudhry Nisar who is answerable to the nation, as what steps he has taken that such incidents should not occur in future.
May Al-Mighty Allah rest the souls of the deceased people in peace. Ameen.
Are we still waiting for the TTP to accept the invitation for talks over Starbucks. Or would they prefer Costa Cofee?
Who's next,tomorrow???'Government'please relieve us of the suspense at least,if not of the utter despair
How is PTI's policy of being easy on the terrorists working for Pashtoons?
I can assume the target was Shias of Parachinar. May God have mercy on people of Pakistan and specially the minorities.