Peshawar blast: PM Shehbaz reaches KP capital

PESHAWAR: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has reached Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) capital, Peshawar, following a suicide attack at a mosque in Police Lines during afternoon prayers on Monday, ARY News reported.

According to details, the prime minister was accompanied by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb.

Taking to Twitter, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that PM Shehbaz Sharif has summoned an emergency meeting to review the tragic incident, summoning the officials of all concerned institutions.

The meeting will review the KP’s law and order situation and ‘motives’, while the premier will be briefed on all aspects of the blast. “A preliminary investigation report on the incident will be presented in the meeting”, she added.

It is pertinent to mention here that at least 32 people were killed and more than 150 were injured in a suicide attack at a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines.

Videos and pictures shared by social media users show horrific scenes as the injured drenched in blood were shifted to local medical centres for first aid after the Peshawar mosque blast.

A part of the mosque has collapsed. The nature of the blast is unknown as per initial reports. An eye witness while talking to ARY News said, he was going to the mosque when the blast occurred and panic prevailed.

Read More: Rana Sanaullah says Peshawar blast was ‘suicide attack’

PM Shehbaz condemns Peshawar blast

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the Peshawar blast, reiterating the national resolve and unity to eliminate terrorism from the country.

The prime minister, in a statement, said that the killing of Muslims while they worshipped, was in violation of Islamic teaching and that the attack on a mosque evidenced that the perpetrators had nothing to do with Islam.

He said the terrorists wanted to create panic by targeting those safeguarding the country and reiterated his resolve to eliminate such elements waging war against Pakistan. “The killers of innocent people will be made an example. The whole nation including the institutions was united against terrorism,” he remarked.

He said the nation saluted the martyrs and that the government would formulate a strategy regarding the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.