The rescue sources said more than 50 people also sustained injuries in the blast. Deputy commissioner Mardan has also confirmed that 22 people had been killed in the explosion.
DPO Mardan said initial probe suggested that the blast was a suicide attack. He told that the alleged suicide attacker rammed his motorbike into Nadra office gate. We have recovered head and legs of the suicide bomber, he told the media here.
The guard deployed outside the office also embraced Shahadat while stopping the attacker.
Interior minister of the province has announced Rs 3 million compensation for the deceased guard’s heirs.
Our correspondent reported that a large number of people were present at the Nadra office when the bomb went off.
The gate of the Nadra office was completely destroyed in the wake of attack. Law enforcement agencies personnel cordoned off the spot to ensure smooth rescue activities at the blast site.
Emergency has been imposed across hospitals in Mardan.
Nisar seeks report of attack
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan condemned the blast and expressed sympathies with the bereaved families.
The interior minister also sought a report from the officials concerned.
Pakistan’s army has been battling Islamist insurgency since 2004 after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan caused militants to flee across the border where they began to foment unrest.
Overall levels of violence dropped significantly in 2015 following a nationwide crackdown on militants that involved major offensives in the semi-autonomous tribal areas and the country’s biggest city of Karachi.
The crackdown came in the aftermath of a Taliban school massacre in December 2014, in which more than 150 people, mainly schoolchildren were killed.
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