Malik Astana Gul, who belongs to Bara, was the target but was not present at the time of the attack at the two-storey building in the Pishta Kharra area from where he used to run a real estate business and also used it as his hujra.
One of the deceased was identified as Ghazi, who died while he was being taken to hospital. Two bodies, one of which belonged to a middle-aged man who was yet to be identified, were pulled out by rescue workers.
A man named Haseeb alias doctor, his friend and another tribal elder were present in the two-storey building when the attack occurred, according to Lal Marjan, a relative of Gul. Almost 60-70% of the building’s structure completely collapsed by the force of the explosion.
According to Marjan, Gul had not received any threats. He leads the Malik Din Khel tribe in Khyber Agency.
Police reached the spot soon after the attack and cordoned off the area to begin investigations.
SP Cantt Mian Saeed Ahmed said that they believed that a vehicle was used in the attack as car parts were found from the blast site.
However, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Senior Minister Bashir Bilour said that initial evidence collected showed that a rocket launcher might have been used. He said that 25-30 kilogrammes of explosives were used in the attack and it was suspected to have been packed into a Suzuki pick-up car.
A Bomb Disposal Squad official confirmed Bilour’s information.
This is the second attack on a tribal elder from Khyber Agency. On January 30, tribal leader Haji Akhunzada was killed in Pakha Ghulam area, on the outskirts of Peshawar.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain confirmed the death toll and said that Gul, like Akhunzada, was suspected to be a leader of a tribal lashkar and hence was the target of the attack.
Speaking about peace talks between the US and Taliban, he said that the K-P government welcomed the development but Pakistan must be included in the negotiations.
COMMENTS (9)
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Without disregarding the comments of other readers, I would like to add that instead of worrying about the presence of warehouses in the country, our government and other responsible institutions must think about devising a strategy to limit the spread of explosives and IEDs and materials that are used to manufacture them.
OIne thing good in this ANP govt. is that these two i mean mian iftikhar and bilour rush to the spot if something happens like yeserday, they were soon at the site after the blast.. Atleast something to praise!
@Mohammad Ali Siddiqui: I live close to this area. And have seen the apparent warehouses. Would be nice if people were a bit better informed before they made sweeping comments.
@Blithe: NATO warehouses can't be that small. They should be big and not easy to identify. If that was NATO warehouse they should have found military related equipments.
when will this suicide bombing end??
This another dram going on in Khyber Agency. Everywhere the whole Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA the charchters appear to be difference but the suol of the dram remain the same. Tell me one simple question. if a nuclear power and well discpilined Army is unable to subduce or defeat a few houndred Taliban, is it not mind bogling. if these Taliban are so talented and can stand the unsalught of regular army, then why not give them the job of country defence. Though few number, and low cost, but as per these report seem more effective and compentent.
I am not aware of any NATO warehouse any where in Pakistan.
Probably the cause of the blast may have been caused due to blast in the PMT of electricity supply organisation.
There are NATO warehouses in Pakistan?!?!?
Why are the citizens kept in the dark over such facts?