MULTAN – The chain of carnage spread downwards Tuesday after hitting the upper areas of country as the terrorists struck Multan this time, killing at least 10 persons including two members of an intelligence agency and themselves besides injuring 43 others.
Two suicide bombers blew an explosive-laden loader vehicle up as the army jawans thwarted their attempt to enter a building on Qasim Bela Road, said ISPR. The building is stated to be the headquarters of countryÂ’s supreme spy agency.
“The target of the terrorists was an army building. They fired two rockets at the pickets established by police and army to make their way.
However, the army jawans fought bravely and prevented a massive destruction by sacrificing their lives,” Commissioner Multan division Syed Muhammad Ali Gardezi told the journalists at the spot.
The DIG Multan Range Arif Ikram told the journalists that 800 to 1000 kilogram explosive material was used in the blast.
“It was a Hyundai loader vehicle. We’ve recovered its parts besides some mobile SIMs from the spot. Investigations are underway,” he added.
“I saw a terrorist carrying a rocket launcher on his shoulder and coming towards the checkpost. He was attired in militia-coloured clothes,” sources quoted a constable Kashif Faisal, who was deployed at the attacked police post, as telling the police high-ups.
He jumped into the bunker along with three other cops to save life. Though all the four cops got buried under a wall that collapsed on their bunker after the rocket fire, all of them survived the attack.
The blast caused a 10-foot deep and 31-foot wide hole in the earth besides badly damaging at least 25 houses and partially damaging the targeted building around the site.
The law-enforcement agencies recovered the head and arm of a suspected suicide bomber, a live hand-grenade, a rocket-launcher, splinters of bombs and parts of a Kalashnikov from the blast site besides arresting four suspected persons from adjoining areas.
A controversy existed on the toll of life as the Rescue 1122 sources claimed that 12 persons lost their lives while the ISPR confirmed 10 dead.
However, the number could not be confirmed as most of the injured and bodies were taken to the Combined Military Hospital and the army did not allow media to enter its premises.
The martyred included two army jawans Sepoy Shakeel and Hawaldar Faisal besides six others. Out of 43 injured, some were identified as two army jawans – Abdul Khaliq and Liaqat Ali besides Zafar, 37, Ghazala, 16, Ramzan, 22, Sassi, 6, Bibi, 4, a four-month-old infant and Muhammad Tariq. The condition of the four injured was stated to be precarious.
Hospital sources said as many as 32 were taken to the Combined Military Hospital while another 11 to Nishtar Hospital. Emergency was declared at all hospitals and other health facilities of the district while all law-enforcement agencies were put on high alert after the blast.
While describing the scene, a security source told this scribe that two concurrent posts, first by the police and the second by army, are established about 100-metre ahead of the targeted building on Qasim Bela Road.
The terrorists came from Qasim Bela area and succeeded to cross the first post but the army jawans halted them before approaching the second one.
A witness namely Mukhtar Ahmad, whose entire family was injured in the blast, told this scribe that he was sitting atop his house when he heard fire shots. “The terrorists firstly opened fire on the cops and then launched a rocket attack followed by a massive blast that collapsed my house,” he added.
Security sources were of the opinion that the terrorists cleared their way by firing a rocket on the first post established by police and then attacked army post to enter the sensitive building, but the army jawans retaliated and foiled their bid, upon which they blew themselves up about 50 yards ahead of the target.
The blast panicked the entire city as most markets and trading centres of Multan were shut down immediately after the incident. The army jawans cordoned off the affected area and stopped every one including police and media persons from approaching the spot.
Meanwhile, the district police are learnt to have launched a post-blast search and clearance operation in Cantt and adjoining areas to nab two suspected terrorists.
A witness, who pleaded for anonymity, claimed that besides the two terrorists, who blew themselves up just outside the headquarters of a spy agency, two others escaped, riding a blue-colour Suzuki Mehran.
The sources said that heavy contingents of police and army cordoned off the entire cantonment area and launched a door-to-door search operation. “The residents of this area are being asked to show their identification documents while those living in rented houses or guest houses are being checked strictly.” However, no arrest was reported till the filing of this story.
Agencies add: According to local officials, the target of the suicide attackersÂ’ gun-and-bomb assault was the ISI building.
The commando-style attack in the prime ministerÂ’s hometown came after 54 people were killed when two bombs devastated a market in Lahore on Monday, engulfing shops in flames and burying people under the rubble.
In Multan, the two attackers fired on soldiers as they drove a pick-up truck packed with explosives past security checkposts, trying to approach the Multan offices of Inter-Services Intelligence, officials said. When challenged, they detonated the car bomb.
Multan’s top administrative official Sayed Mohammad Ali Gardezi said that one military building was badly damaged in the blast, adding: “They did not succeed to hit the target.”
The number of deceased has risen to 10 and the injured 47. Five of the deceased were children.
The martyred included two army jawans sipoi Shakeel and hawaldar Faisal besides six others including five children namely Shahzad, Abdullah, Hina, Tabinda and Zainab and an unidentified civilian. Similarly, Out of 47 injured, some were identified as two army jawans Abdul Khaliq and Liaqat Ali, Zafar, 37, Ghazala, 16, Ramazan, 22, Sassi, 6, Bibi, 4, a four-month old infant and Muhammad Tariq.