17 killed in suicide bombing outside court in Shabqadar

Two cops among killed; alleged facilitator of bomber arrested; TTP splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar accepts responsibility; acting president, PM, KP governor chief minister, PTI chief condemn incident

CHARSADDA: At least 17 persons were killed and 31 sustained injuries when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Tehsil Courts in the Shabqadar town of Charsadda district on Monday, police sources said.

The suicide bomber shot dead two police constables at the main gate of the court premises before blowing himself up outside the court of the Additional Sessions Judge leaving 17 persons dead and 31 injured.

“A teenage suicide bomber sprayed policemen, Naseemullah and Muhammad Yaman Khan, with bullets at the entrance to the Tehsil Courts and then headed straight towards the court of Additional Sessions Judge Asad Ali,” an official source said.

The attacker detonated his suicide vest outside the court killing 17 people, including seven women, on the spot. The building caught fire in which seven vehicles were burnt down. Locals rushed to the court and shifted the dead and injured to a hospital in Shabqadar and also to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar where some of them were stated to be in critical condition.

Some of the dead were identified as Sher Afzal, Hamdullah, Tahir, Muhammad Talha and Farhad.  The deceased women included Uzma, Farasat, Basri Raj, Bakht Mala, Misal Pari and Noorul Huda.

The sources said the police arrested an alleged facilitator of the suicide bomber who was immediately shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation. “The arrested man had helped the attacker to reach the court to launch the attack,” the sources said, adding that a pistol had also been recovered from him.

The funeral prayers of the slain cops were offered at the Police Lines in Charsadda.  Adviser to the Prime Minister Amir Muqam, senior provincial minister Sikandar Sherpao and leaders of various political parties attended the funeral. 

The slain cops were laid to rest in their respective villages with state honours. The local people questioned security arrangements in the area despite continued threat posed by the militants, more so after the terrorist attack on the Bacha Khan University in Charsadda on January 20 in which 21 persons, mostly students, were killed. 

They said CCTV cameras had not been installed at the Tehsil Kutchery (court). Locals said the attacker managed to reach his target despite the fact that 18 cops were deployed for the protection of the Tehsil Courts.

However, official sources said most of these cops were on duty to bring the accused to the courts for hearing of their cases. The police later lodged the FIR of the attack against unknown persons. The case was filed by Ali Jan, the Station House Officer, Police Station Shabqadar, with the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), Mardan branch.

The FIR was filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act 7-ATA, Section 302, 324 and 427 of the Pakistan Penal Code. Preliminary investigation report on the attack said it was a suicide attack and the attacker belonged to Mohmand Agency and was aged 23-25.

It said the suicide attacker had been reportedly present in Shabqadar for three days. It added that the facilitator led the suicide bomber to the main entrance on foot. The report said the suicide bomber first fired at the cops manning the gate and then entered the courts to blow himself up. According to police report, up to six kilograms of explosives were used in the attack.

The report added that the specimen from the body of the suicide bomber had been sent to the lab for DNA test. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar — a splinter group of the banned terrorist outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — claimed responsibility for the attack saying that it was in revenge for hanging Mumtaz Qadri last week.

The militant group said the court and judges were their target for their alleged “un-Islamic” practices. Acting President Mian Raza Rabbani and Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif condemned the bombing and expressed profound grief and sorrow over the loss of precious human lives. 

Rabbani said terrorists could not deter the resolve of the government and the people against terrorism through such cowardly attacks.  He lauded the sacrifices rendered by the policemen in the fight against terrorism adding that their sacrifices would not go in vain. 

He commiserated with the bereaved families and directed the quarters concerned to provide the best medical treatment to the injured.  He said that actions against anti-state elements would continue across the country till elimination of terrorism.

Sympathising deeply with the bereaved families, Nawaz extended his heartfelt condolences to the victims' families and prayed to Allah Almighty to grant courage to them for bearing the irreparable losses. 

“The countless sacrifices rendered by our law enforcement agencies in the fight against terrorism will not go in vain.  The entire nation is determined and united in its commitment to wipe out this menace from our soil”, he added. 

“The brave police officials who embraced martyrdom in the line of duty sacrificed their today to safeguard a peaceful tomorrow for our future generations, and they deserve gratitude and recognition of the highest degree”, he emphasized.

Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Iqbal Zafar Jhagra, Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak and PTI Chief Imran Khan also strongly denounced the suicide attack and sympathised with the families of victims.

The governor ordered the authorities to take prompt action against the perpetrators involved in the heinous attack.  He also directed the hospital authorities to provide best possible medical cover to the injured.