Peshawar in the grip of terror yet again

Eight martyred, over 100 wounded as bomb blast at madrassa reopens APS attack wounds

PESHAWAR:

In the latest in a new string of terrorist attacks across the country, at least eight students were martyred and nearly 100 others suffered injuries when a powerful bomb ripped through a madrassa in Peshawar on Tuesday morning, bringing back the horrific memories of the 2014 massacre of 149 children and teachers at the Army Public School (APS) in the city.

There has been a resurgence of terrorist activities this month as just a couple of days ago a bomb blast at a market in Quetta claimed the lives of three people. On October 17, a Pakistan Army soldier embraced martyrdom in an attack on a patrolling team in Turbat. On the 15th of this month, 20 security personnel were martyred in two separate attacks on the Coastal Highway near Ormara and in North Waziristan.

According to Peshawar police’s Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), a bag full of explosives was left inside the hall of the Jamia Zubairia in Dir Colony. The explosives went off as the students were taking lessons in Hadith.

Seven students were martyred on the spot, while one succumbed to his wounds at the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), according to the CTD. The bodies and the injured were shifted to the LRH and the Hayatabad Medical Complex by the Rescue 1122 service and Edhi ambulances.

Several of the wounded students are in critical condition and hospital authorities fear that the death toll may climb further.

Authorities said some seminary teachers and employees were also injured in the bombing. Police officer Mohammad Ali Gandapur confirmed two teachers were among the wounded.

The police, CTD and the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) rushed the site of the blast immediately, but the narrow alleyways in the colony prevented them from reaching their early, according to witnesses.

A spokesman for the LRH said that over 90 people injured in the attack were brought to the hospital.

“Seven bodies were brought here and one of the injured people succumbed to his injuries,” LRH spokesperson Muhammad Asim told The Express Tribune. He added that the bodies were handed over to their relatives after identification and the medico-legal formalities.

The spokesperson further said most of the injured students had suffered burn wounds.

“The hospital has discharged 40 students after initial treatment. Most of the injured students have been shifted to the burn units and ENT wards as they have suffered upper body wounds,” Asim added.

At least two injured students were taken to the Khyber Teaching Hospital. A spokesperson for the hospital said medical aid was provided to the injured students and they were out of danger. Around 36 of the injured people were also shifted to Naseerullah Babar Memorial Hospital.

A police source said Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani was supervising the class at the time of the explosion, however, he narrowly survived. The source added that Haqqani had previously received threats.

Peshawar City SP Waqar Azeem told The Express Tribune that an unidentified man entered the madrassa at around 8am and left a suspicious school bag inside its hall. He added that it was being suspected that the bag contained an improvised explosive device (IED)

The officer said the bomb went off when the students had started filling in the hall. “We are looking into the incident from all angles and are trying to ascertain the type of the explosives used because they caused a fire that wounded the students,” he added. BDS chief Shafqat Malik said around five kilogrammes of explosives were used in the blast.

According to the madrassa administration, around 1,100 students study there. Students aged between the 22 and 28 years were present in the hall at the time of the explosion, it added.

Police sources revealed that around 40-50 students were present inside the madrassa when the bomb went off.

A video filmed by a student showed Haqqani delivering a lecture when the bomb exploded. TV footage later showed the damaged main hall of the seminary, where the bombing took place. The hall was littered with broken glass and its carpet was stained with blood.

Shortly after the attack, residents rushed to the seminary to check up on their sons or relatives who were studying there. Many relatives also gathered at the LRH, where the dead and wounded students were brought by police in ambulances and other vehicles.

From his hospital bed, a wounded student, Mohammad Saqib, 24, said Sheikh Haqqani was explaining verses from the Quran, when suddenly they heard a deafening sound and then cries and saw blood-stained students crying for help.

The attack comes days after agencies alerted that militants could target public places and important buildings, including seminaries and mosques across the country.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the Peshawar blast, but a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban condemned the “cowardly act”. Peshawar has been the scene of militant attacks in the past, including a brutal assault on the APS in 2014 that killed 140 children and several teachers.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Sanaullah Abbasi told reporters that police were trying to provide security as much as they could. “We are very saddened by this. We will ensure the security of the city,” he said.

President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday led the nationwide condemnation of the blast and offered their condolences to the family members of the martyrs.

“May Allah Almighty grant patience to the bereaved families and raise the ranks of martyrs,” President Alvi said in his condolence message. Condoling with the bereaved families, PM Imran prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.

“I want to assure my nation we will ensure the terrorists responsible for this cowardly barbaric attack are brought to justice,” Imran said. He asked the authorities to ensure the provision of best possible medical aid to the victims,” he added.

Condemning the explosion at the seminary, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is currently in Gilgit-Baltistan for the upcoming polls, said those who target innocent civilians had no religion.

“Terrorists cannot break the will of the people of Pakistan through their cowardly attacks” he added, expressed concerns over increasing incidents of terrorism in the country.

Former president Asif Zardari also condemned the attack.

PML-N supremo and former premier Nawaz Sharif, while condemning the attack, said he was “extremely saddened” by the attack on innocent children. He added that those who had attacked the seminary could not be Muslims. “Those responsible for the attack should be found and punished according to the law.”

His daughter and senior PML-N leader, Maryam Nawaz also condemned the blast and said it had left her “deeply saddened” and she could not even “imagine the pain of the mothers” who lost their children. She prayed for the families and those who lost their life and were injured in the attack.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said he was heartbroken over the deaths and injuries.

“The nation stands side by side with its armed forces and law-enforcement agencies in this war on terror. [We] will eradicate the monster of terrorism,” he added.

Information Minister Shibli Faraz condemned the blast and said those behind the attack had nothing to do with humanity.

The United Nations Office in Pakistan said it was “appalled” by the attack. “We stand together in shock and grief after the heinous attack today on Jamia Zuberia madressah, Peshawar, where children take classes. We are appalled by this attack on children while they were in a place of prayer and learning.”

The United Nations’ children’s agency, Unicef, also condemned the attack. In a statement, its representative in Pakistan, Aida Girma, said: “Education is the fundamental right of every girl and boy, everywhere. Schools must never be targeted.”

Expressing grief at the loss of precious lives in the blast, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan condemned the incident. Ordering the police to launch an inquiry immediately, the chief minister said that those responsible will not be able to escape the law.

(With input from our correspondent in Peshawar)