Peshawar blast: PM Shehbaz summons apex committee meeting tomorrow

PESHAWAR: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has summoned a meeting of National Apex Committee (NAC) tomorrow (Friday) following the suicide blast at a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines, ARY News reported on Thursday.

According to details, the prime minister has summoned the National Apex Committee (NAC) meeting at Governor House, Peshawar – which will be attended by political and military leadership.

Sources told ARY News that the meeting will review the progress in investigation of the suicide blast in Peshawar’s Police Lines, which claimed lives of more than 100 people.

The apex committee will consider relevant actions to cub terrorism and protect citizens’ lives and property. Matters related to reorganisation of KP Police and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) will also come under discussion.

The participants will also consult on provision of necessary equipment, quality training and modern weapons to KP law enforcement personnel.

It is pertinent to mention here that a powerful blast triggered by a suicide attack rocked a mosque in Peshawar’s Police Lines during the afternoon prayers.

According to the latest figures, at least 100 people have been confirmed to have lost their lives in the attack, while almost 169 people were wounded.

Security officials said the explosion took place around 1:40pm on Monday as Zuhr prayers were being offered as a result of which the roof of the mosque caved in. The rescue operation is still underway at the mosque site to retrieve the victims.

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

‘Peshawar mosque bomber was in police uniform’

Earlier in the day, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Police Chief Moazzam Jah Ansari revealed that Peshawar mosque blast attacker “was clad in police uniform” and police had found body parts of the bomber from the blast site.

Briefing media about the progress in the Peshawar blast probe, KP IG said that the suicide bomber entered the Police Lines area on a motorcycle and police have traced his movement from CCTV footage. “Peshawar blast was a suicide attack and we have traced the bomber,” he said.

“Police have obtained the CCTV footage of bombers movement while entering Police Lines on motorcycle cladding in a police uniform,” the officer revealed, adding that investigators have also found ball bearings from the blast site and police were closing in on the terror network behind the Peshawar suicide attack.

“We have found ball bearings used in a suicide jacket from underneath the rubble of the mosque,” he informed the media, and added, “10-12kgs of trinitrotoluene (TNT) was used in the attack”.

IG KP said that police had also found a piece of suicide jacket worn by the bomber. He went on to say that CCTV footage showed that attacker had worn a simple jacket with a mask on his face.