Ambulances arrive at Shama Cinema to carry the wounded and the dead. PHOTO: ONLINE
When Sawab Gul set up a business meeting on Pajjagi Road for Tuesday, he had no idea the nearby Shama Cinema would become a scene right out of a war movie the same afternoon.
Gul, one of the injured brought to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), was passing by the cinema when three explosions rocked the building. Unidentified militants had hurled three successive grenades inside the cinema while a movie was being screened.
The 60-year-old sustained injuries to the chest and arms and was fortunate enough to not be one of the 13 people who lost their lives.
Giving a first-hand account of the mayhem which followed the blasts, Gul told The Express Tribune he heard the first blast and saw people run around in panic. “I was confused as to where the explosion had occurred so I kept walking, however, when I reached the gate of Shama Cinema another blast occurred and I was knocked unconscious,” said Gul.
He added before passing out he saw that several people inside and outside the picture house had been injured. But Gul does not remember who brought him to the hospital.
Another injured admitted to the LRH casualty ward said he was watching a movie in the cinema when the blast occurred. “The people in the hall began running toward the gate in panic and that is when I heard another explosion,” he recalled.
“I saw a number of bodies on the ground and many injured people calling out for help, but no one dared to enter the cinema fearing another blast,” he said, adding the dead and the wounded remained on the ground for nearly 30 minutes for no one was willing to enter through the gate.
According to the media cell of the LRH, 11 bodies and 25 injured were initially brought to the hospital, out of whom two more succumbed later. The deceased were identified as Latifur Rehman, Khaista Hameed, Muhammad Imran, Sher Muhammad, Astana Gul, Badshah Saeed, Zar Gul, Ghazi Marjan, Munir Ahmad and Awal Gul, while some remained unidentified.
Some of the injured were identified as Ikram Hussain, Tela Muhammad, Waris Khan, Sawab Gul, Raheem Dad, Umer Saleem, Israr Khan, Asadullah, Wazir Muhammad, Azam Khan, Asmatullah, Shahid Khan, Akbar Khan, Abbas Ali, Sher Afzal, Ashraf Khan, Anwar Kheyal and Gul Bahar Khan.
Addressing journalists after the incident, Minister for Health Shaukat Yousafzai initially confirmed 11 people had died while 19 were injured. He further said the condition of four of the wounded was critical, while six who had sustained minor injuries had been discharged after treatment.
“An emergency has been declared in LRH and all facilities are being provided to the victims,” said Yousafzai, while at the same time attributing the attack to a “third power which is bent on sabotaging peace talks.”
Peshawar Assistant Commissioner Asad Haroon said following a similar attack on Picture House on February 2, cinema owners had been informed to tighten security. However, he claimed the owners did not take the matter seriously.
Haroon further directed other cinema owners to boost security provisions on their premises.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 12th, 2014.
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