Daily Times

PESHAWAR: At least seven people including a traffic police warden were injured as a result of a bomb blast near Charsadda Bus Stand, Peshawar on Friday.

The incident occurred when a remote controlled explosive device, planted at a U-turn near Charsadda Bus Stop went off early in the morning in the jurisdiction of Faqirabad Police Station.

Police sources said that the device, weighing about 1.5 kilogrammes, went off shortly after 7am, when it was extremely busy with daily commuters coming to Peshawar from Charsadda and nearby villages.

Rescue 1122 spokesman Bilal Faizi informed that the rescue teams and people from nearby areas immediately arrived at the spot and rushed the injured to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar for early treatment.

Police sources said that the wounded traffic warden, Sajjad Khan, was performing his duty near the gate of the bus stop when the explosion took place. The shockwaves of blast were so strong that windows and glasses of a number of nearby houses and shops were shattered.

The victims of the incident included four persons from Charsadda namely Fayaz, Hidayatullah, Ijaz Khan and Sajjad Khan, while one Hazrat Manan of Shabqadar, Musa Khan of Bajaour Agency and Almas Khan were from Bakhshu Pul, Peshawar.

Rescue sources said that the injured were out of serious condition while some of the injured, after treatment, were shifted to their homes. On the direction of police officials after the blast, a search and strike operation was carried out in Faqirabad, Qazi Kalay and nearby areas of the spot. The police arrested 64 suspects, including two Afghan nationals living illegally in Pakistan.