PESHAWAR: The deadly suicide bombing at Malik Saad Shaheed police lines’ mosque that martyred over 101 people, mostly policemen and injured 221 others, has left behind many painful stories of the victims before they left for the eternal abode.
Constable Daud Khan of Peshawar Police, who succumbed to his head and chest wounds in the Rescue 1122 ambulance at the gate of Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) Peshawar on the fateful day, seemed extremely worried about the well being of his ailing mother.
Before embracing Shahadat, Daud Khan repeatedly asked the rescuers “Would I survive, I am the most loving child of my ailing mother and what would she do if I die. When I left home for duty on Monday, my mother asked me to bring medicines for her,” quoting Daud, the rescue worker Taimur Khan, who brought the injured cop to hospital in precarious condition, said. The martyred policeman along with other colleagues was performing Zuhar prayer at the mosque’s corner when received shrapnel in chest and head that proved fatal.
“Daud was not much worried about his grave wounds, rather concerned for his ailing mother and was repeatedly asking me who would look after his mother if he died today. Taking these worries to an immortal world, Daud Khan breathed his last at the entrance of LRH,” sadly said the rescue worker Taimur while talking to media.
In another touching situation, police constables Ibn-e-Ameen and Iftikhar Khan, who remained close friends since childhood at village Ameerabad of Charsadda district, were martyred together. Iftikhar Khan, who was initially recruited in Wapda, had later joined KP police on the request of his friend Ibn-e-Ameen and hence the long journey of friendship ended with the joint martyrdom at police lines’ mosque.
Constable Irfan Khan, a resident of Takht Bhai Mardan recruited in 2008 in police force was also martyred in the blast and his wish to perform Umrah in the holy month of Ramazan was not materialized, thus leaving behind a widow and two sons to mourn his tragic death.
“My father Maulana Noorul Ameen (prayer leader) of the bombed mosque, has always prayed for death as a martyred and his wish was fulfilled the other day during worship,” said Muhammad Mustafa, son of martyred Noorul Amin with sobbing eyes. “My father wanted to see me as a doctor to serve the ailing humanity and I am working hard to fulfill his dreams,” said Mustafa, adding his father always advocated for discipline and concentrating on studies to achieve goals in life.
Sharafat Ali, a head constable of Peshawar Capital Police and a resident of village Ismail Khel, Mardan district who embraced ‘Shahadat’ in the blast was laid to rest in a graveyard that was reserved by him for the area people. Sharfat’s family members said that poor people’s were facing problems due to unavailability of graveyard and this issue was addressed by his father by reserving his precious land for the graveyard for general public, and that was unaware that he would be the first person where he would laid to rest there.
Counter Terrorism Department’s DSP Shaheed Asmat Shah, a resident of Urmar Peshawar, came to the mosque regularly for Zuhr prayer and often recited ‘Takbeer’. The family members said that death was meaningless for Shaheed Asmat who had a great desire for laying down life for Pakistan.
Meanwhile, people of all walks of life are coming to the residences of the martyrs on the third day of the blast and offering Fateha for their eternal peace. Grief and sorrow prevailed in KP especially in Mardan, Charsadda, Peshawar, Nowshera and Swabi where majority of the victims cops belong to.
JIT probing how suicide bomber entered police lines’ mosque
Ejaz Khan, Chief of Capital City Police Officer said that a joint investigation team (JIT) has been formed to probe that how the suicide bomber had entered the police lines’ mosque and CCTV footage was collected for this purpose. Talking to reporters, he said it was also being investigated whether the bomber was entered through an official vehicle or facilitated by an insider or was already present in the police line.
Forensic investigation of the entry of four suspected people into police lines was also made to ascertain if these suspects were the facilitators of the bomber or otherwise. He said the body parts of the suicide bomber have been sent for DNA test to the forensic laboratory and further estimations would be made once the report was received.
The investigative team has also started profiling the staff of the police lines where security has been beefed up after the horrific bombing that claimed the lives of 101 and injured 220 others.
PML-N blames PTI government
Accusing former PTI government of negligence to enhance capacity of the Counter Terrorism Department and Police Force, PML-N KP spokesman Ikhtiar Wali said under National Finance Commission Award, Rs417 billion were provided to Khyber Pakthunkhwa government since 2010 that was supposed to be used for building capacity of staff of the counter terrorism departments (CTD), KP police and others law enforcement agencies.
He said PTI had enjoyed power in KP for the last ten years and questioned that where this huge money was spent in-spite of raising of the counter terrorism department and availability of funds in the province where terror incidents has increased referring to the deadly police line Peshawar and CTD Bannu attacks.
Ikhtair Wali said people of KP would make PTI accountable for the rise of terrorism in the province and Imran Niazi would face people’s wrath in upcoming election due to poor performance of his party despite 10 years long rule in Khyber Pakthunkhwa.
Compensation to be provided to martyrs and injured
Azam Khan, caretaker Chief Minister KP said that his government would provide compensation to all martyrs and injured for which a summary was ready for approval. The capacity of officials of CTD and police force would be enhanced especially in terms of training and equipment in the wake of recent terror incidents in KP and families of the victims would not be left alone in this hour of grief and sorrow.
