Peshawar assault: Bombing at Tablighi Markaz kills seven

Nearly 60 people were injured and two more bombs were defused.

MIRAMSHAH/ PESHAWAR:

An explosion tore through a crowded Tablighi Markaz in the provincial capital on Thursday, killing seven people and wounding more than 60. An eight-year-old boy was among the dead.

The tragedy at the Tablighi Markaz could have been far worse had three remote-controlled explosive devices not been discovered and defused in time. At least two bombs were defused in the same main hall of the building – but several hours after the first explosion. Another bomb was discovered at the Tablighi Markaz in Nowshera.

The Pakistani Taliban denied any involvement and blamed the attack on those “who carry out such blasts to tarnish the image of the Mujahideen”. In a statement, TTP spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid disowned previous blasts at public places as well.

Thursday’s explosion occurred during Maghrib prayers. It was shab-e-jummah (eve of Friday) and a large number of people had gathered to listen to the special prayer sermon.



Soon after the blast, volunteers were asked to take the injured to hospitals and the media was not allowed inside. “They have taken everything in their own hands. No one is allowed [inside the mosque],” said an official of the Rescue 1122.

The volunteers washed the site of the blast and removed the debris from the area where a crater was formed. As soon as the site was cleaned, the sermon resumed.

Police said the volunteers ‘washed away’ most of the evidence as they cleaned up the place. Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) chief AIG Shafqat Malik said around five kilogrammes of explosives were used. “The explosive device was concealed inside a ghee tin. There is no use of ball bearing in the timed device,” he said.

Talking to The Express Tribune Haji Javed, a Tablighi Jamaat member and former MPA, said between 18,000 and 20,000 people come to attend the sermon on Thursday night delivered by the ulema.

The blast occurred behind pillar No. 70. A room of elders of the Tablighi Markaz is also situated near that pillar. “In the nearby room, our elders had gathered to discuss matters of mutual interest,” said a volunteer on the condition of anonymity. Muhammad Ali, who was injured in the blast, said he “fell on the ground when the blast took place and was unable to understand what had happened”.

Another witness Suliman Khan said he came to the Tablighi Markaz every week along with a man from his village, Arsalan Khan, who was killed in the blast. “We were not close friends but frequently met at the markaz. He died in front of my eyes.”

Two bombs found

BDS defused two five-kilogramme remote-controlled bombs inside the main hall of the Tableeghi Markaz late Thursday night.

The first device was hidden inside a bag and left near pillar No. 40 of the main hall. People spotted the suspicious bag and informed the police. It was a homemade device and a mobile phone set was attached to it as the trigger, a BDS official told The Express Tribune.

The third explosive device, similarly weighing five kilogrammes, was found and defused in the main hall. It was spotted near pillar No. 49.

After the recovery of the third remote-controlled device, the police and BDS launched a comprehensive search operation inside the building and in the surrounding area.

“A lot of people come and go to and from the building. We have asked the administration to evacuate the complex because the threat of another explosion cannot be ruled out,” said a police official on the condition of anonymity. There was no security system in place at the religious centre, he added.

Another bomb defused

The Nowshera Cantonment police found another five-kilogramme bomb from the luggage of an unknown militant in the Tablighi Markaz, Nowshera, and defused it by Thursday evening.

Rab Nawaz Khan, District Police Officer (DPO) Nowshera, said hundreds of devotees were en route to the Tableeghi Markaz, Nowshera, for shab-e-jummah.

According to reports, a man dumped his luggage at the main gate of the Markaz and fled.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 17^th, 2014.