A suicide bomber first threw a grenade in the court room before blowing himself up. PHOTO: MUHAMMAD IQBAL/ EXPRESS
At least four people died in the attack, while 29 were injured.
A suicide bomber, posing as a local clerk, threw a grenade in the court room of additional sessions judge Kulsoom Azam before blowing himself up.
A second bomber was shot dead by security forces and the suicide jacket was defused by bomb disposal squad.
The attackers stormed the crowded court complex in the city of Peshawar, less than two months before expected national elections.
A security guard who was injured told AFP how the two young men had tried to get past his checkpoint.
"They introduced themselves as court clerks and refused a body search. One of them pulled out a pistol and fired on me after I insisted on a search," Tahir Khan, 36, said from hospital.
"I was hit on my right arm. Then I shouted and policemen arrived and firing started. After some time, I heard a blast but I was bleeding and was later taken to hospital."
Sayed Jameel Shah, a spokesperson for Peshawar's main Lady Reading Hospital, said it had received four bodies and was treating the injured people, including four police and seven lawyers.
Each bomber had six kilogrammes of explosives and four kilogrammes of ball bearings.
The dead and injured were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital.
K-P information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told Express News that three officials were killed in the blast.
Hussain added that that the bombers had planned this very well.
“Even if you have very tight security, they planned to get around it.”
“Security has been improved and will continue to be improved but these incidents will continue to happen, and the twenty days leading up to elections will see more activity” Hussain said.
“These terrorists have managed to get into GHQ, Naval base and police training centres. These terrorists are everywhere but we will persevere.”
“They have not yet found success. Some incidents will continue to happen, and we have to mentally prepare for this,” Hussain added.
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END OF LIVE UPDATES
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1:40 pm
K-P information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told Express News that three officials were killed in the blast.
“There was an impression that militants had been holed up inside with hostages, but police have said that they have killed the militant.”
Hussain added that that the bombers had planned this very well. “Even if you have very tight security, they planned to get around it.”
“Security has been improved and will continue to be improved but these incidents will continue to happen, and the twenty days leading up to elections will see more activity” Hussain said. “These terrorists have managed to get into GHQ, Naval base and police training centres. These terrorists are everywhere but we will persevere.”
“They have not yet found success. Some incidents will continue to happen, and we have to mentally prepare for this.”
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1:20 pm
Express News correspondent Jahangir Shahzad said that police have secured the judicial complex.
Bomb disposal squad have defused the jacket off the second suicide bomber who was killed by security forces. The bomber had six kilogrammes of explosives and four kilogrammes of ball bearings.
Shahzad added that police have secured the judicial complex.
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1:10 pm
Express News reported that additional sessions judge Kulsoom Azam who was injured in the blast has been described to be in critical condition.
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1:07 pm
Minister for information Mian Iftikhar Hussain has said that some militants are still inside the judicial complex and have possibly taken some people hostage.
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1:05 pm
Express News correspondent Umar Siddique reported that at least two people have died and the number of injured have risen to 22, including four police officers.
The injured have been shifted to Lady Reading Hospital.
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1:00 pm
Express News correspondent Jahangir Shahzad reported that lady judge Kulsoom Azam was hearing a case in the main courtroom when a suicide bomber blew himself up in it.
A search operation within the judicial complex has begun.
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12:57 pm
Express News correspondent Jahangir Shahzad said that police have recovered one body.
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12:55 pm
An eyewitness said that they were in courtroom 18 when they first heard firing and five minutes later they heard and explosion. He added that it was possible some militants were still in the basement of the complex.
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12:53 pm
Express News correspondent Jahangir Shahzad said that police believe the explosion was a suicide blast. One of the bombers blew himself up in the judicial complex while a second one was engaged by the police.
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12:50 pm
Express News correspondent Umar Farooq said that the injured have risen to nine, including two police officers.
The gates of the judicial complex have been sealed.
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12:45 pm
Express News correspondent Jahangir Shahzad said that eight people including lawyers have been injured and shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital.
A number of reporters and lawyers are currently trapped in the judicial complex.
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12:40 pm
Police have cordoned off the area and people are told to stay away from the site of the blasts as firing is continuing.
The second blast was of stronger intensity than the first.
Suspected to be a suicide bomb attack.
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12:30pm
One injured has been shifted to the hospital.
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COMMENTS (26)
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This is all America's doing. They want to divide and conquer by blaming it on the 'Taliban' so the citizens of Pakistan turn against them and ask America for help to try and eliminate them. America cannot conquer pakistan on its own. It therefore requires the help of the gullible Pakistani news readers.
These are headless and heartless persons u can not expect any thing else from them.They pretend to be religious but no religion taught hatred religion taught love and affection towards every one.
@Irfan: Because they live in safe houses with a army of security personal to guard them and their families only poor people becomes the targets of these headless terrorists they day when they started targetting these leaders they will think about others also.
@Ayla: My dear Sister this blood bath can only be stopped when all the Paistani women start thining like u only u can compell ur husbands bothers to stop this because when any man is killed his wife has to bring up her childern alone which is very difficult.Stand up against thse thaughtless activties and save the humnity save Pakistan save the world.
another typical day in the land of the pure. In fact, it seems with each of these actions the land is becoming even more pure.
why dont all politicians unite and take action against extremists??
you can have dialogue with traders but not god warriors
Very sad news.No respite from daily blasts and daily killings(in Karachi).
I am afraid there is lack of will to fight terrorism in Pakistan whether against Taliban or sectarian forces. The state appears to be resigned to fate whereas terrorists are striking at will killing hundreds of innocent people. When such a mayhem is going on in the country, it is rather strange to note that political parties including the ruling party and military not being on the same page which is allowing the terrorists to have the upper hand. Every terrorist attack should be a wake up call for Pakistan to take decisive action against them but who can wake up a person who is already awake ??
@ goggi..
You spoke up my mind bro,, Very well Said
@Ayesha: I wish from my the depth of my heart, that you first wake up yourself and realize, that we are all the citizens of a large global family with equal rights but also obligations and liabilities.
I would never write........... and a Sunni lawyer is also killed in Peshawar today!!! It is the worst and most painful thing in our society that our elders have successfully created a religious apartheid and we live wall to wall with hatred-filled hearts.
We should believe in Oneness and refrain from talking about things or indulge in actions which cause disharmony and split in the society.
And you still want to go for dialogue with these heartless butchers and that without on their own terms and conditions.Can you rationalise the killings of thousands of Pakistanis and counting by these barbarics?Plz stop supporting Mr Fazl-ur.Rahman and company.You are also answerable to ALLAH in the end.
Maybe the lawyers can now stop showering rose petals on people who follow the politics of such organisations.
@zahid: The real question is why would you defend such groups? and what is purpose of these groups as if gazillions of mosques with huge laud speakers are not enough to spread our religion that we need further groups? These groups are nothing but a divide in society and should be thrown out. You will never see any such organizations in any develop country where only political parties or charity organizations are there to serve its people.
@aamir: I have seen a few naive asking this question over and over again .. Do you not see the reason? that is because, these acts are carried out by us the Sunnis not by minorities or any sect .. Media rightly highlights their sects when Shias & Ahmadis are targeted because we are majority and it is our responsibility to protect our brothers & sisters who're minorities in this country. If we punish all so called leaders of "banned organizations" roaming freely in our country and stop defending them our future generations will be in a much safer and tolerant society.
Snakes in your backyard won't bite only neighbours: Hillary But you are still in denial mood. aren't you?
Gualam Rasool"Kuldeep sharma" New Delhi
Targeting a female judge? Cowards!
@Ayesha: you are right, sister. our husbands are killed doing their job, our kids are killed while going to school, how can a dialogue be possible? my husband is in police. every day i am afraid that he won't come back. unless the ideologists and prime movers of terrorism are exterminated, what future do we have?
@secularsheet: Shame on you, you have no value of human lives
Welcome gift for Mr. Morsi...
welcome Morsi. ready to sign pacts and invest money in pakistan
when ever any shia is killed anywhere in pakistan every body cries shia is killed,what about if any sunni is killed has anyone raised this issue,give me a single head line stating any sunni is killed,is there any conspiracy going on to???point to plunder
BOOM BOOM pakistan
very sad and unfortunate event,now some ASWJ psychoes will start fake and baseless prognda against aswj as they r in habit of blamin4 evrythng happening in pkistan,i request them to stop lieng and pesent evidnce in court,killing of all humen beings whether thy belong 2 any sect,religion,ethenicity,language or region is crime,all the targetted killers should be hanged to death,enough is enough we want peace
dialogue with these butchers ? and a shia lawyer is also killed in peshawar today wake up pakistan, we dont want to be a new afghanistan