ISLAMABAD:
Twenty-four people were killed and 116 wounded in a powerful explosion
in the fruit and vegetable market (Sabzi Mandi) here on Wednesday
morning. The death toll is likely to increase, as 17 of the injured are
in a critical condition.
The explosive device weighing five kilogrammes was planted in a guava crate and was blown up by remote control leaving a 5ft x 3ft crater.The police authorities ruled out a suicide bombing, saying that a manual operating mechanism was used in the explosion. The intelligence agencies, analysing the method of the explosion, indicated a foreign hand behind this act of terrorism.
The blast was so powerful that its sound was heard in a radius of 10-12 kilometres from the epicentre. The witnesses said that the explosive was planted in a guava crate, which went off with a big bang during an auction, leaving scores of persons dead and injured.
Meanwhile, the outlawed United Baloch Army (UBA) claimed responsibility for the blast. If that is so, it was the UBA’s second major attack within 24 hours as a day earlier the separatist militants had bombed the Jaffar Express at Sibi Railway Station, killing 17 passengers and injuring dozens more.
Experts say that these bombings might be a reaction to the killing of at least 30 separatist militants in the Khuzdar and Kalat districts of Balochistan.However, the Ministry of Interior termed the claim of the United Baloch Army (UBA) as ludicrous and ridiculous. In a statement, the ministry said that it was beyond any credible evidence that the Baloch separatist outfit had carried out the blast in Islamabad.
Earlier last month, 11 people, including an additional sessions judge, a woman lawyer, a cop and three other senior lawyers, were killed and over 30 wounded in a gun-grenade-suicide at the district courts premises in F-8 Markaz.
Meanwhile, fruitsellers and vendors in Islamabad have complained of a lack of security despite the potential threat from terrorists.People who witnessed the explosion said that the auction of fruits was going on as usual when suddenly a carton of guavas exploded at about 8:00am. At the time, over 1,500 fruit merchants were participating in the auction.
The volunteers, as well as the police personnel deployed on security duty at the Sabzi Mandi, reached the spot and started shifting the bodies and injured to different hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.shifting the bodies and injured to different hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
“The bodies and injured were scattered around the epicentre where many of the people had killed on the spot,” witnesses said and added, the body parts of different victims were laying scattered up to the range of 100 feet.
Meanwhile, AIG (Operations) reached the scene along with heavy contingents of police including Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) ATS and ARF and cleared the area. The Bomb Disposal Squad searched entire Sabzi Mandi with explosive detecting devices before clearing the area.
AIG (Operations) Sultan Azam Temuri told ‘The News’ that a high-level investigation team headed by SP (Industrial Area Zone) Liaquat Niazi had been constituted to investigate and make headway to the terrorist outfit. Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), (Investigation), CIA, CID and SHOs of Industrial Area and Sabzi Mandi police stations would be part of the investigation team, while, SP (Investigations) Jamil Hashmi would separately investigate the matter, Temuri maintained.
The AIG (Operations) disclosed that ten fruit merchants brought fruits from different areas of the country, adding that those cartons of guava were transported from Pakpattan, Vehari, Kasur, Burewala, Arifwala and Sharqpur by trucks. Two teams of CIA and CID had been sent to those cities from where the trucks were loaded.
Temuri ruled out the possibility of suicide bombing and said that suicide attack didn’t leave crater while the planted explosive made deep ditch and all the victims received injuries on lower parts of their bodies which negated the aspect of suicide bombing. “All the fruit merchants who brought the fruit, have been detailed to gather information about the people who sent the fruit and the trucks on which the cartons of fruit were transported,” the AIG (Operations) said, adding, “We will definitely make headway to the terrorist outfit embroiled in the blast and get them soon.”
He said that a team of police personnel led by a sub-inspector, was present in the Sabzi Mandi at the time of occurrence and they reached the scene soon after the blast and rescued the victims.
Talking to the media persons on the crime scene, DIG (Headquarters), Khalid Khattak, declared that checking of every individual and vehicle was humanly impossible, adding that the police got no prior information from the intelligence agencies about the terrorist attack.
The majority of the people killed in the terrorist attack, were poor fruit vendors who used to come the market to participate in the fruit auction.Dr Waseem Khawaja, Director of PIMS hospital, told ‘The News’ when contacted that 18 people were brought dead at the PIMS while one expired in ICU during medical aid. As many as 56 people, sustained injuries on different parts of their bodies, were under treatment, Dr Khawaja said, adding that a number of victims were in critical condition. “Death toll can rise as at least 17 victims are in critical condition,” Dr Waseem Khawaja said.
The dead were identified as Alamgir son of Sher Afzal, Bakht Muhammad son of Azam, Miraj Khan son of Malook Sain Khan, Azam Khan son of Rustam Khan, Waris Ali son of Turaab, Talha son of Sher Baz, Muhammad Umar Baz Khan son of Mir Zaman, Muhammad Karim son of Lal Khan, Khizar Hayat son of Ghulam Rabbani, Muhammad Rafique son of Muhammad Jan, Sajjad son of Arshad, Muhammad Ishtiaq son of Sardar, Shabbir son of Ghulam Rasool, Shahzad son of Arshad Khan and Zair Khan son of Musafer Khan, Dr Waseem Khawaja said. He said that remaining could not be identified. He said that a person expired in emergency and the other expired in surgical ICU.
The Sabzi Mandi police have registered an FIR against unknown terrorists and started investigation.Meanwhile, the security in Rawalpindi, has been tightened after the Sabzi Mandi episode, the Rawalpindi police spokesman said adding that extra force had been deployed at sensitive installations and cantonments areas. The spokesman said that a comprehensive search operation had been launched in sensitive areas of Rawalpindi.
Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that foolproof security would be provided to business community.Talking to media persons after visiting the blast site in Fruit and Vegetable Market, he said that culprits would be taken to task.
“The government would take elaborate measures and steps to make business areas more secure and safe,” the minister averred.He said that the government would announce compensation for the families of the deceased and the injured. The minister said, “It is not possible to check manually around 300 vehicles, which enter the Fruit and Vegetable Market daily from various parts of the country.” However, he assured that all possible steps would be taken to make the area more secure and safe.
Nisar said that the four scanners had been purchased at cost of Rs1 billion by the last government. Only two scanners were imported, which unfortunately, could not identify explosive materials, he added.
Replying to a question, he said that VIP security was only being provided to the president, prime minister and chief justice of Pakistan.He said 11,000 officials of Islamabad Police were performing duty in the federal capital, but such incidents could not be averted without modern technology.
To another query, he said that the registration of slum areas (Kutchi Abadies) had already been carried out.He said, “The people who are involved in the terrorist incidents, cannot be called the Muslims. No Muslim can kill innocent people.”
To a question, he said, the investigation had started and it would be premature to pinpoint any group’s involvement in the incident.The minister visited the blast site and met the representatives of Fruit and Vegetable Market. He assured them that their concerns regarding security would be addressed.
The explosive device weighing five kilogrammes was planted in a guava crate and was blown up by remote control leaving a 5ft x 3ft crater.The police authorities ruled out a suicide bombing, saying that a manual operating mechanism was used in the explosion. The intelligence agencies, analysing the method of the explosion, indicated a foreign hand behind this act of terrorism.
The blast was so powerful that its sound was heard in a radius of 10-12 kilometres from the epicentre. The witnesses said that the explosive was planted in a guava crate, which went off with a big bang during an auction, leaving scores of persons dead and injured.
Meanwhile, the outlawed United Baloch Army (UBA) claimed responsibility for the blast. If that is so, it was the UBA’s second major attack within 24 hours as a day earlier the separatist militants had bombed the Jaffar Express at Sibi Railway Station, killing 17 passengers and injuring dozens more.
Experts say that these bombings might be a reaction to the killing of at least 30 separatist militants in the Khuzdar and Kalat districts of Balochistan.However, the Ministry of Interior termed the claim of the United Baloch Army (UBA) as ludicrous and ridiculous. In a statement, the ministry said that it was beyond any credible evidence that the Baloch separatist outfit had carried out the blast in Islamabad.
Earlier last month, 11 people, including an additional sessions judge, a woman lawyer, a cop and three other senior lawyers, were killed and over 30 wounded in a gun-grenade-suicide at the district courts premises in F-8 Markaz.
Meanwhile, fruitsellers and vendors in Islamabad have complained of a lack of security despite the potential threat from terrorists.People who witnessed the explosion said that the auction of fruits was going on as usual when suddenly a carton of guavas exploded at about 8:00am. At the time, over 1,500 fruit merchants were participating in the auction.
The volunteers, as well as the police personnel deployed on security duty at the Sabzi Mandi, reached the spot and started shifting the bodies and injured to different hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.shifting the bodies and injured to different hospitals of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
“The bodies and injured were scattered around the epicentre where many of the people had killed on the spot,” witnesses said and added, the body parts of different victims were laying scattered up to the range of 100 feet.
Meanwhile, AIG (Operations) reached the scene along with heavy contingents of police including Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) ATS and ARF and cleared the area. The Bomb Disposal Squad searched entire Sabzi Mandi with explosive detecting devices before clearing the area.
AIG (Operations) Sultan Azam Temuri told ‘The News’ that a high-level investigation team headed by SP (Industrial Area Zone) Liaquat Niazi had been constituted to investigate and make headway to the terrorist outfit. Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), (Investigation), CIA, CID and SHOs of Industrial Area and Sabzi Mandi police stations would be part of the investigation team, while, SP (Investigations) Jamil Hashmi would separately investigate the matter, Temuri maintained.
The AIG (Operations) disclosed that ten fruit merchants brought fruits from different areas of the country, adding that those cartons of guava were transported from Pakpattan, Vehari, Kasur, Burewala, Arifwala and Sharqpur by trucks. Two teams of CIA and CID had been sent to those cities from where the trucks were loaded.
Temuri ruled out the possibility of suicide bombing and said that suicide attack didn’t leave crater while the planted explosive made deep ditch and all the victims received injuries on lower parts of their bodies which negated the aspect of suicide bombing. “All the fruit merchants who brought the fruit, have been detailed to gather information about the people who sent the fruit and the trucks on which the cartons of fruit were transported,” the AIG (Operations) said, adding, “We will definitely make headway to the terrorist outfit embroiled in the blast and get them soon.”
He said that a team of police personnel led by a sub-inspector, was present in the Sabzi Mandi at the time of occurrence and they reached the scene soon after the blast and rescued the victims.
Talking to the media persons on the crime scene, DIG (Headquarters), Khalid Khattak, declared that checking of every individual and vehicle was humanly impossible, adding that the police got no prior information from the intelligence agencies about the terrorist attack.
The majority of the people killed in the terrorist attack, were poor fruit vendors who used to come the market to participate in the fruit auction.Dr Waseem Khawaja, Director of PIMS hospital, told ‘The News’ when contacted that 18 people were brought dead at the PIMS while one expired in ICU during medical aid. As many as 56 people, sustained injuries on different parts of their bodies, were under treatment, Dr Khawaja said, adding that a number of victims were in critical condition. “Death toll can rise as at least 17 victims are in critical condition,” Dr Waseem Khawaja said.
The dead were identified as Alamgir son of Sher Afzal, Bakht Muhammad son of Azam, Miraj Khan son of Malook Sain Khan, Azam Khan son of Rustam Khan, Waris Ali son of Turaab, Talha son of Sher Baz, Muhammad Umar Baz Khan son of Mir Zaman, Muhammad Karim son of Lal Khan, Khizar Hayat son of Ghulam Rabbani, Muhammad Rafique son of Muhammad Jan, Sajjad son of Arshad, Muhammad Ishtiaq son of Sardar, Shabbir son of Ghulam Rasool, Shahzad son of Arshad Khan and Zair Khan son of Musafer Khan, Dr Waseem Khawaja said. He said that remaining could not be identified. He said that a person expired in emergency and the other expired in surgical ICU.
The Sabzi Mandi police have registered an FIR against unknown terrorists and started investigation.Meanwhile, the security in Rawalpindi, has been tightened after the Sabzi Mandi episode, the Rawalpindi police spokesman said adding that extra force had been deployed at sensitive installations and cantonments areas. The spokesman said that a comprehensive search operation had been launched in sensitive areas of Rawalpindi.
Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said that foolproof security would be provided to business community.Talking to media persons after visiting the blast site in Fruit and Vegetable Market, he said that culprits would be taken to task.
“The government would take elaborate measures and steps to make business areas more secure and safe,” the minister averred.He said that the government would announce compensation for the families of the deceased and the injured. The minister said, “It is not possible to check manually around 300 vehicles, which enter the Fruit and Vegetable Market daily from various parts of the country.” However, he assured that all possible steps would be taken to make the area more secure and safe.
Nisar said that the four scanners had been purchased at cost of Rs1 billion by the last government. Only two scanners were imported, which unfortunately, could not identify explosive materials, he added.
Replying to a question, he said that VIP security was only being provided to the president, prime minister and chief justice of Pakistan.He said 11,000 officials of Islamabad Police were performing duty in the federal capital, but such incidents could not be averted without modern technology.
To another query, he said that the registration of slum areas (Kutchi Abadies) had already been carried out.He said, “The people who are involved in the terrorist incidents, cannot be called the Muslims. No Muslim can kill innocent people.”
To a question, he said, the investigation had started and it would be premature to pinpoint any group’s involvement in the incident.The minister visited the blast site and met the representatives of Fruit and Vegetable Market. He assured them that their concerns regarding security would be addressed.
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