Peshawar mosque blast toll reaches to 93

PESHAWAR: A suicide bomber blew himself during Namza-e-Zuhr congregation at a mosque near Police Lines in Peshawar on Monday, leaving at least 93 people and more than 150 injured.

Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) spokesperson has confirmed the number of casualties whereas on the other hand, the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the blast at a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines.

According to security officials’ claim, the suicide bomber was present in the front row during the prayers when he detonated himself, hurting numerous devoted people who were praying the Zuhr.

The roof of the mosque collapsed after the blast, due to which injured people were stuck under the rubble. The Rescue teams took out the people from the rubble and shifted them to hospitals.

Emergency has been imposed in all the hospitals of Peshawar. Security forces have cordoned off the area. The injured were taken to Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital.

As the rescue operation at Peshawar Police Line’s mosque continues following a bomb blast, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday reached the metropolis to get a briefing as well as inquire after those injured in the terrorist incident.

During the visit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the cowardly terror attacks could not weaken resolve of the nation against terrorism and the miscreants and their facilitators involved in attacks on innocent citizens would be punished for their heinous crimes.
Chief of Army Staff Syed Asim Munir received the prime minister on his arrival.
The PM was accompanied by Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan and Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb.
On this occasion, the Corps Commander Peshawar briefed the prime minister about the motives behind the terror attacks.

Inspector General Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muazzam Jah Ansari gave the initial investigative report about the suicide attack on the mosque.
The PM was also shown CCTV footage of the suicide attack on the Police Lines mosque.
The participants of the meeting offered fateha for the martyred, sympathized with the bereaved families and prayed for the early recovery of the injured.
On this occasion, the prime minister said terrorists were attacking the security institutions which were defending Pakistan, adding the terrorists were making a nefarious attempt to create an atmosphere of fear and terror.
The strength of unity of institutions and people would foil the designs of terrorists, he said adding Pakistan had rendered great sacrifices against terrorism and sacrifices of the martyrs would not go waste.
Shehbaz Sharif said capacity of the anti-terrorism institutions and police would be enhanced and National Action Plan would be implemented comprehensively and with full force.
Meanwhile, the prime minister visited the Lady Reading Hospital to inquire after the persons injured in the blast.
The prime minister took rounds of different wards and met the injured. He directed the hospital administration to provide best medical facilities to the injured.
Speaking during his visit, he said those who shed blood of the worshippers could not be Muslims.
The criminals behind the terror attack would not be absolved by Allah Almighty, he remarked. He vowed to root out the terrorists.
He said attack on the innocent citizens during prayers in the mosque and in the name of Islam was worst of acts.
People of Pakistan had identified the real faces of the extremist elements who had a baseless ideology and were misinterpreting the religion, he added.
Earlier on his arrival at the hospital, the prime minister was received by caretaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Azam Khan, Adviser to the PM on Political Affairs Engr Amir Muqam, and Inspector General of Police Muazzam Jah Ansari.

Earlier, the prime minister, also the president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, urged the party workers to donate blood to save lives of the injured people.

He said the people, students, and party workers with the O-Negative blood group should immediately reach the Lady Reading Hospital of Peshawar to play their part in saving human lives.

Meanwhile, Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Khan Mehsud urged the citizens of O- group to donate blood for the treatment of blood victims.

Talking to reporters, here, he said O- blood was required for critically injured victims following the appeal made by the Lady Reading Hospital’s spokesman.

He said at least 28 people, including policemen, were martyred and 150 wounded in the powerful explosion that ripped through inside the mosque of Malik Saad Shaheed police lines in red zone.

Meanwhile, Capital City Police Officer Peshawar Ejaz Khan, while talking to the media, said that it was too early to comment anything that how many policemen were still trapped under the mosque’s rubble.

He said the focus was currently being made on the rescue operation.

“We cannot say with surety about the nature of the blast at the moment but there is a smell of explosives inside the mosque,” he feared, also not dismissing the possibility of a suicide attack.

The CCPO said usually 300 to 400 people including officials of the headquarters of Peshawar Police, Counter Terrorism Department, Frontier Reserve Police, Elite Force and Telecommunication Departments offer Zuhr prayer in the mosque.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack that took place in a mosque at Peshwar Police Lines, reiterating the national resolve and unity to eliminate terrorism from the country.

An eyewitness claimed to have been on his way to the mosque when the explosion happened.

“There was a large explosion. After the explosion, there was smoke everywhere, the witness claimed. When he awoke, he continued, he watched the mosque’s roof crumble.