Bomb disposed: Terrorism bid in Rawalpindi foiled

The device was spotted by a resident.

RAWALPINDI: Terrorists tried to sabotage the peaceful environment of the garrison city on Monday, planting a bomb in a thickly-populated mohalla of Raja Bazar, which was defused.

The bomb was planted in a sewage line in Naya Mohalla, outside a house owned by Nisar Khattak, who belongs to Karak district of Khybe-Pakhtunkhwa. A large number of people gathered in the street after hearing about the bomb.



The police rushed to the site and cordoned off the area. “Please vacate the area as there may another bomb,” urged a police constable. The bomb was defused by a bomb disposal squad in the jurisdiction of City Police Station.

“I saw a bundle of sticks tied together with electric wires. I had never seen this kind of a thing and I got alarmed and immediately informed the police,” said Muhammad Asif, a local resident.

The police also called rescue officials in case of an untoward incident. The bomb disposal squad defused the bomb after an hour of hectic effort. “It weighed 600 grams but as the street is narrow it could have wrecked havoc,” said Sadaf Zahoor, an official of the bomb disposal squad. At one side of the narrow street where the bomb was planted there is a private school which is closed for summer vacation.



The bomb squad searched the area fearing the terrorists might have planted another bomb and later declared the area clear.

The police interrogated the residents of the streets and collected information about the houses given on rent and the tenants. Talking to The Express Tribune, SHO Basharat Abbassi said it was a bid to terrorise people. “The family from Karak has never reported threats from militants to the police.”

He said a case had been registered against unknown persons, “We’re investigating the situation from every angle and will try to enhance our surveillance by increasing the number of patrol teams in my area.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11^th, 2013.