Low-intensity blast hits Peshawar market

PESHAWAR: At least four people were injured when a low intensity device exploded in a crowded bazaar in the limits of the Peshawar Cantonment on Tuesday, medics and police said.

The police said that the attack occurred in the Shafi Market area at around 12:00 pm, where an explosive device weighing around 500 grams was placed in a plastic bag.

The injured identified as Abu Bakar, Ghulam Raza, Ikramullah and Sami Masih, were shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH)
for treatment.

Shafi Market, which is located in the heart of the Peshawar Cantonment, mostly consists of garment shops and is frequented by women.

Abdul Wahab, a trader told The Express Tribune that the blast was powerful and created panic among the shoppers, who rushed out of the market.

He said that although shopkeepers were hesitant, the shops remained open following the insistence of the Anjuman-e-Tajiran President, who said if the market remained closed, business would suffer.

Hilal, a trader at a nearby fast food shop told The Express Tribune that the number of customers – mostly women – dropped drastically following the blast.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23^rd, 2011.