KP govt announces one-day mourning,

Peshawar_The death toll in the devastating suicide attack at a mosque inside police headquarters in Peshawar shot up to 83 on Tuesday morning, with 157 people injured,  channel.

The dead included a number of police officers including DSP Arab Nawaz and five sub-inspectors. The prayer leader of the mosque was also among the killed.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the suicide attack, saying it was part of a revenge attack for slain TTP commander Umar Khalid Khurasani, who was killed in Afghanistan in August last year.

A frantic rescue mission continued the whole night at the mosque, which had an entire wall and some of its roof blown out by the suicide hit.

“Many policemen are buried under the rubble,” said Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan, who estimated between 300 and 400 officers usually attended prayers.

Bodies were still being pulled Tuesday from the wreckage of the mosque blast. Overnight, at least nine bodies were recovered as rescuers sifted through the rubble of the mosque’s collapsed wall and roof.

“This morning we are going to remove the last part of the collapsed roof so we can recover more bodies, but we are not hopeful of reaching any survivors,” Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a spokesperson for the Rescue 1122, told AFP.

Muhammad Asim Khan, a spokesman for Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, said that 83 people had been killed, with the death toll rising as more bodies arrived from the scene.

The deadly suicide attack inside a highly sensitive police headquarters on Monday, prompting the government to put the country on high alert.

The attack happened during Zuhr prayers in Peshawar, close to former tribal areas along the Afghan border.

Bloodied survivors emerged limping from the wreckage, while bodies were ferried away in ambulances. “It’s an emergency situation,” Muhammad Asim Khan, a spokesman for the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar, said.

Shahid Ali, a policeman who survived, said the explosion took place seconds after the imam started prayers. “I saw black smoke rising to the sky. I ran out to save my life,” the 47-year-old told AFP.

During the night, several men were seen trapped in the wreckage, visible through cracks in the concrete.

“We have given them oxygen so that they don’t have problems in breathing,” said Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a spokesperson for the Rescue 1122.

At least 27 of the killed police officers were later buried after a prayer ceremony with coffins lined up in rows and draped in the national flag. They were laid to rest with a guard of honour, a police official said.

The police headquarters in Peshawar is in one of the most tightly controlled areas of the city, housing intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus, and is next door to the regional secretariat.

 

Security tightened in Islamabad after Peshawar mosque blast,

Security was beefed up in Islamabad after a powerful blast in a Peshawar mosque, with strict checking of vehicles at the entry points of the city.

Islamabad Inspector General (IG) Dr Akbar Nasir Khan issued the directives for a “high-security alert” in the federal capital, a tweet by the Islamabad Police said on Monday night.

It said security at all the entry and exit points of the city was beefed up, with monitoring through the Safe City system. Snipers were also deployed at important points and buildings.

Federal Capital s hospitals put on high alert

The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination on Monday directed the administrative heads of the federal capital’s two major hospitals to remain on high alert, keeping in view the prevailing situation after a bomb blast in Peshawar.

According to the ministry’s spokesperson, on the direction of the Minister for National Health Services Abdul Qadir Patel, instructions in that regard were issued to the heads of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and the Federal Government Polyclinic (FGPC) hospital.

He said keeping in view that the blast victims might be referred to the capital hospitals, the heads of two hospitals were also to ensure the availability of medical and para-medical staff as well as essential services in their respective facilities round-the-clock.

Following the ministry’s directions, the administrations of both hospitals started taking special measures to keep the emergency department on high alert for the provision of medical facilities to injured persons.

Similarly, all vehicles or ambulances will be on standby in the premises of the hospitals to cater to any emergency situation, besides making other necessary arrangements to meet any untoward situation. All the officers or officials working in the emergency department will remain physically present in their respective shifts.

Countrywide high alert

Provinces around the country announced they were on high alert after the blast, with checkpoints ramped up and extra security forces deployed, while in Islamabad snipers were deployed on buildings and at city entrance points.

“Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan,” said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a statement.

Officers said the blast came from the second row of worshippers, with investigators were probing the possibility of a suicide attack.

Shahid Ali, a policeman who survived, said the explosion took place seconds after the imam started prayers.

“I saw black smoke rising to the sky. I ran out to save my life,” the 47-year-old told AFP. “The screams of the people are still echoing in my mind.”