Damaging business: 10 shops destroyed in Peshawar blast
No casualties were reported till the filing of this report.
PESHAWAR:
Explosive material placed outside a tea shop at Dalgran Bazaar went off causing havoc in Peshawar on Sunday night.
No casualties were reported till the filing of this report.
The blast is said to have almost completely destroyed Lawangeen Masalajat Shop and damaged at least nine others in the market. Traders of the bazaar told The Express Tribune that over the last few days, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had been sending them letters demanding extortion money.
Traders spoke about the letters on the condition of anonymity since they were afraid of being victimised by militants. It was purported that the owner of Lawngeen Masalajat shop had been targeted for refusing to pay the extortion money demanded through such letters. However the police has not confirmed if the shopkeepers had been receiving any threatening letters.
After the blast, the area was cordoned off by the police while Rescue 1122 and some civil defence personnel started a rescue operation.
The explosive used in the blast weighed approximately 2 kilogrammes, according to Peshawar Police Superintendent Asif Iqbal Mohmand.
Later on, the Federal Minister Railways Haji Ghulam Ahmad Billour visited the scene and condemned the incident.
“In India there are 30 million Muslims who live in peace but here in Pakistan, even our funerals are attacked,” he said while talking to the media.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2012.
Explosive material placed outside a tea shop at Dalgran Bazaar went off causing havoc in Peshawar on Sunday night.
No casualties were reported till the filing of this report.
The blast is said to have almost completely destroyed Lawangeen Masalajat Shop and damaged at least nine others in the market. Traders of the bazaar told The Express Tribune that over the last few days, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had been sending them letters demanding extortion money.
Traders spoke about the letters on the condition of anonymity since they were afraid of being victimised by militants. It was purported that the owner of Lawngeen Masalajat shop had been targeted for refusing to pay the extortion money demanded through such letters. However the police has not confirmed if the shopkeepers had been receiving any threatening letters.
After the blast, the area was cordoned off by the police while Rescue 1122 and some civil defence personnel started a rescue operation.
The explosive used in the blast weighed approximately 2 kilogrammes, according to Peshawar Police Superintendent Asif Iqbal Mohmand.
Later on, the Federal Minister Railways Haji Ghulam Ahmad Billour visited the scene and condemned the incident.
“In India there are 30 million Muslims who live in peace but here in Pakistan, even our funerals are attacked,” he said while talking to the media.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2012.