Heavy duty: 25kg bomb defused outside PPP leader’s office in Bannu

ANP district leader survives attack on house.

BANNU:

A 25 kilogramme bomb was discovered and decommissioned outside the office of a Pakistan Peoples Party leader in Bannu on Sunday.

According to a Saddar policeman, the bomb had been planted by unidentified militants outside PPP Bannu President Haji Zafar Ali Khan’s office and brick kiln in Ismail Khan. Locals tipped off the police about its presence after which the police sent in the bomb disposal unit (BDU). BDU officials cordoned off the site and blocked Bannu-DI Khan Road while they defused the device. According to the Saddar policeman, the bomb could have caused heavy damage if it had exploded and not been dealt with in a timely fashion. PPP MNA and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah’s daughter was only a few yards away from the site where the bomb was discovered. Nafeesa Shah had been visiting the People’s Field Hospital set up for the displaced families of North Waziristan. Grenade, gun attack Awami National Party district leader Malik Sheroz Khan’s house was attacked on Saturday, however, no human loss was reported. An official of the Kaki police said unidentified militants on a motorcycle lobbed a hand grenade at Khan’s residence while he was standing outside. The assailants then opened fire, but no casualties were reported. According to the Kaki police official, members of the family fired at the unidentified men in retaliation, forcing them to flee. An FIR has been registered against unidentified persons. No arrests were made till the filing of this report. Meanwhile, the BDU defused an explosive device outside the house of Malik Mowez, an elder of the Jani Khel tribe. A security official said security forces were patrolling the area at the time when they spotted the bomb, which according to him, had been planted by militants. Published in The Express Tribune, August 11^th,2014.