The youngest victim of Parachinar blast

Zain Haider, along his two elder brothers, went to the Eid Gah vegetable market but never returned

Zain Haider, along with his two elder brothers, went to a vegetable market in Parachinar on January 22 but never returned.

Last week’s blast in the crowded Eidgah Market of Parachinar city, Kurram Agency, one of the seven semi-autonomous regions of the country, added to the miseries of a local family whose youngest son was among those killed in the deadly explosion.

Eight-year-old Zain was instructed by his elder brother Altaf, 12, to stay in the market as he hired his handcart to a trader to move his merchandise.



Upon his return, all Altaf could find were Zain’s shoes and a pair of worn-out trainers, his 15-year-old brother Sabil Hussain, who works at a poultry shop, told the BBC.

"Altaf couldn't return to find Zain immediately because there was a commotion and people were running helter-skelter all over the place," he said. "Half an hour later, I went home to find Altaf in a state of shock. He was pale. He said he couldn't find Zain but his shoes, a pair of worn-out trainers, which he brought home."

Zain’s father Jamil Hussain, who works as a labourer in Karachi, is still unaware of the destruction Saturday’s attack caused to his family. "My father has a tough life in Karachi ... we haven't told him [about Zain's death]," said Sabil.



Zain was proclaimed dead in a local hospital where scores of other victims were brought in. At least 25 people were killed and 87 others wounded in the blast.

Two terrorist groups — the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al Alami — claimed they had coordinated the attack.