Malakand blasts: Shaken villagers bury 14, fear more deaths

Army, civil high-ups visit grief-stricken community.

BATKHELA:

Fourteen people, who were killed in back-to-back bomb blasts at separate mosques during Friday prayers in the remote village of Baz Darra area of Malakand Agency, were laid to rest amid moving scenes on Saturday.

In Shogray Baba graveyard the shaken villagers had dug five extra graves fearing more deaths owing to the condition of some of those injured. One of the victims, 12-year-old Suleman succumbed to his injuries in LRH Peshawar on Saturday morning. Among the dead were two bothers Momin Khan and Daulat Khan, a labourer who was about to leave for Bahrain in the next couple of days.

Some 40 people are still under treatment at different hospitals. Out of those, 15 are in a critical condition.

Senior officials of the security forces and local administration visited the grief stricken village located in Palai union council of Malakand Agency.

The security officials and administration informed the villagers that a check post will be set up near the village along with all other security arrangements to ensure peace in the area.

District Coordination Officer (DCO) Malik Amjid Ali Khan, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Swat, Major General Sanaullah Khan Niazi, Operation Commander Colonel Mansoor Baloch and other senior officials visited the site and assured people of all out support.

District Coordination Officer Amjad Ali Khan paid Rs50,000 in assistance to the families of the injured and promised to provide compensation for the heirs of those killed.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19^th, 2013.