A pall of gloom gripped Peshawar on Saturday, a day after several worshippers were martyred and scores wounded in a suicide bombing at an imambargah in the city, while six more injured succumbed to their wounds, pushing the death toll of the deadly attack to 63.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid claimed that three attackers had been identified in the bombing at the imambargah in the city’s Kocha Risaldar area that injured nearly 200 others.
The imambargah was targeted by multiple attackers, one of whom shot the police guards at the entrance to a packed mosque at Peshawar's historic Qissa Khwani Bazaar. Later, one of them entered the mosque and detonated his explosives-laden vest in the middle of worshippers offering Friday prayers.
The spokesperson for Lady Reading Hospital said multiple victims were still in critical condition and the medical facility was treating 37 people for blast-related injuries.
The interior minister said the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa police and investigation agencies had carried out an “excellent” job and had identified the assailants soon after the horrific attack.
"Police will get to the accused in a day or two, but we have totally identified them," he added.
The Counter-terrorism Department (CTD) of the provincial capital also registered a case regarding the suicide attack, claiming that it had unearthed the terrorists’ plot.
A statement – at the instigation of the Khan Raziq police station SHO – was sent to the CTD about the suicide attack.
The statement read that a case had been registered at the police station on the complaint of Khan Raziq’s SHO, and terrorism provisions were included in the FIR.
The SHO had checked the security of the mosque and went to a side street when he heard gunshots. When the SHO returned to the mosque, the explosion had already taken place and police personnel were injured, the statement added.
It said that the assailant was in black clothes, on foot and carrying a pistol which he fired first at the police officers. The attackers have been charged with murder, attempted murder and terrorism.
The K-P police chief said at least 150 ball bearings were used in the suicide vest. He added that the attackers were on foot when they attacked police guards and worshippers in the imambargah.
Hours after the incident, the CTD said a suicide bomber and his two handlers entered the provincial capital via Namak Mandi and then headed towards Kocha Risaldar area using Kohati Gate to reach near the imambargah in a rickshaw.
Prime Minister Imran Khan also confirmed the development, saying that the authorities have collected all information regarding the origins of the terrorists and “are going after them with full force”.
“[I] have personally been monitoring operations & coordinating with CTD & Agencies in the wake of the cowardly terrorist attack on Peshawar Imambargah. We now have all info regarding origins of where the terrorists came from & are going after them with full force,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle.
In a follow-up tweet, the premier expressed sorrow over the terrorist attack saying: “My deepest condolences go to the victims' families & prayers for the recovery of the injured.”
He added that he had directed the K-P chief minister to personally visit the families and look after their needs.
Read Qureshi condemns Peshawar blast
The funeral prayers of at least 25 martyrs were offered in the provincial capital and were attended by a large number of people from across the city. Collective funeral prayers of 14 martyrs were offered at Kohati Chowk. The funeral prayers for five other victims were offered outside Kohati Gate. The funeral prayers of two of the deceased were offered at Hussainiya Hall.
The militant Islamic State (IS) in a statement claimed responsibility for the deadly bomb blast.
Afghan Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid, while expressing sympathy with the victims of the Peshawar imambargah blast, condemned the terrorist attack. “There is no justification for attacking civilians and worshipers. We express our deepest condolences to all the victims of the incident,” he wrote on his official Twitter handle.
Speaking to reporters in Peshawar, Special Assistant to K-P Chief Minister Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, alongside Peshawar Capital City Police Officer Muhammad Ijaz Khan, maintained that the blast had not occurred because of the negligence of the government or any law enforcement agency.
“Intelligence agencies have collected evidence and hopefully the culprits and network of the attackers would be identified in the next 48 hours,” he added.
Briefing the media on the occasion, the city’s police official said the suicide bomber had been identified and investigative teams had reached out to his family.
He added that the bomber was originally from Afghanistan and had been living in Pakistan for decades.
The CCPO said a team comprising personnel of the CTD, Peshawar police and intelligence agencies had obtained important evidence from the scene.
“The evidence collected from the scene included the bomber’s body parts, fingerprints, etc. Bullet shells from the pistol used by the attacker have also been found.”
The official said a National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) team was called to the scene and identification of the suicide bomber and his facilitators had started.
“The rickshaw driver has also been tracked down using human intelligence.”
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