At least 16 injured in blast in Parachinar

Ag APP

PARACHINAR: At least 16 people were injured in an explosion which took place in a crowded bazaar in the Parachinar city of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday, Geo News reported.

The explosive, which was planted in a handcart loaded with vegetables, went off in Parachinar’s Tori bazaar. The wounded were taken to District Headquarters Hospital Parachinar, said hospital official Qaiser Hussain, adding that initially no death was reported.

Soon after the blast, locals blocked a main thoroughfare and staged a separate protest in front of Parachinar Press Club.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif strongly condemned the blast, saying: “Terrorists seek to target citizens and leave Pakistan in the grip of terror. The whole nation is united against the enemies of Pakistan.”

Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also condemned the attack and expressed concern over the rise of such incidents of terrorism in the country. “Terrorists have been emboldened due to a lack of implementation of the National Action Plan,” he said.