Relentlessly targeted: ‘Dildar was passionate about our cause against militancy’

The Adezai Aman Lashkar volunteer was laid to rest, 5 others who were injured remain in critical condition at LRH.

PESHAWAR: Slain in a suicide attack late Thursday night, Adezai Aman Lashkar volunteer Dildar Khan was laid to rest on Friday amid strict security at his ancestral graveyard in Adezai. Five others who were injured in the blast remain in critical condition at Lady Reading Hospital (LRH).

According to his relatives, Dildar dropped out of school after matriculation but kept busy while his brother and other family members resided in Saudi Arabia. The 17-year-old was a cooperative member of the neighbourhood, willing to offer a helping hand when needed and even volunteered part time with the Adezai Aman Lashkar; his uncle Farman Khan is one of the commanders.



“He was very passionate about our cause against militancy,” explained his cousin Qari Sajjid.

Thursday night, he was at Sajjid’s baithak (guesthouse) in Adezai, Mattani when a suicide bomber, a teenager himself, blew up in the room, killing Dildar, injuring five others.

“My brother Waqas was on guard at a distance and he tried to stop the attacker who ran towards the room,” said Sajjid, who was not present at the time of the incident.  “As Waqas chased him, the attacker tripped on the stairs, falling half inside the room – he blew himself up as he lay on the ground.” The explosion which ensued was powerful enough to bring the roof down, trapping everyone under the debris.

Five were critically injured, including three of Sajjid’s brothers, Waqas, Abid Raza, and Yasir Raza. The other two were lashkar volunteers Amir and Shahab.

More people would have been injured or killed had they not left for the night prayer, added Sajjid. Only five were inside the room while one man stood guard outside. “Body parts, including the legs of the attacker, were later found; he was a tall man,” shared Sajjid.

Lashkar commander Farman accused the police of not reaching the site in time despite repeated calls after the blast. He told The Express Tribune Adezai Lashkar volunteers carried out the rescue work on their own, after which they shifted the injured and deceased to LRH while maintaining their own security protocol.

“It was unfortunate the police reached the site of the attack after one hour,” said Aman Lashkar elder Haji Waqif Khan. Adezai falls within the jurisdiction of Mattani police station.

The target of the attack was my nephew Sajjid’s baithak, added Farman.

According to Mattani DSP Abidur Rehman, the suicide bomber targeted Farman’s nephew’s house because Farman’s was not as accessible.

“Usually, they (Adezai lashkar) keep strict security arrangements but Sajjid’s house was unguarded and away from the residences of Farman and his brothers. The suicide bomber entered the guest room and blew himself up,” he said, confirming body parts of the bomber had been found.

Meanwhile, LRH Casualty in charge Dr Khizar Hayat said they had received five injured who were still in critical condition because of their shrapnel injuries.

According to some estimates, at least 120 people in Adezai have been killed in targeted attacks since 2008 – in shootings, and rocket and suicide attacks. Including Thursday’s incident, at least two other significant suicide blasts have resulted in casualties.

Haji Abdul Malik, the head of the laskhar, was killed in one in 2010 while a similar incident at a funeral caused 43 fatalities.

Sajjid’s father had also been killed in a targeted attack in Karachi in 2008. Haji Abdul Manan was the brother of the all-powerful lashkar leader Dilawar Khan.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2014.