PESHAWAR, Jan 31 (APP): The wounded cops of the deadly blast at the mosque of Malik Saad Shaheed Police Lines in Peshawar on Tuesday expressed the resolve to continue the fight against terrorism and extremism in order to protect the motherland from the menaces.
Constable Ibrahim Khan of the Telecommunication Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police, under treatment at Orthopedic Ward of the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH), said despite the horrific suicide bombing on peaceful worshipers, including policemen, he was eagerly waiting to rejoin his duty soon after discharge from the hospital.
Despite having deep shell wounds on the shoulders, neck and right leg, Ibrahim was not worried about his health, rather inquiring about his colleagues, who were present in the mosque at the time of the blast.
“It was a cowardly act as the terrorists targeted innocent and unarmed civilians and policemen while offering Zuhr prayer,” he said while talking to APP.
It gave him enormous courage and strength to fight the enemy of the country as well as his colleagues more vigorously, he added.
“I became unconscious as a result of the blast. I can only remember hearing Allah-o-Akbar by the Imam (prayer leader),” Ibrahim Khan, who has served in the KP Police for 22 years in different districts, said.
“I along with my old friends Assistant Sub-Inspector Muhammad Rizwan, Inspector Douran Shah, and Constable Muhammad Naeem came to the mosque for Zuhr prayer. My friends were in the front row while I was in the middle when the huge explosion occurred, martyring two of my colleagues along with many others.”
With teary eyes, he said the desire of his colleagues for ‘Shahadat’ (martyrdom) was fulfilled while “I am also looking forward to laying down my life for the motherland’s defence”.
“The inhuman coward bomber, who had no religion, attacked the peaceful worshipers, the majority of whom were unarmed policemen as he (the attacker) had no guts to face them in direct encounter,” he added.
Ibrahim said he had six children, who were also ready to sacrifice their lives for safeguarding the country’s interests.
Assistant Professor Orthopedics at LRH, Dr Shoaib Ahmad said that Ibrahim Khan was out of danger after successful surgery to remove shrapnel from his shoulders and right leg.
Constable Jahangir Khan, who also wounded in the blast, said his father always advised him to face the danger from the front, adding the his father’s desire was fulfilled. “Martyrdom was my wish, however, Allah Almighty saved me in this deadly attack,” Jahangir said. “However, Allah has given me another chance and whenever the need arises I will never hesitate
to sacrifice my life for my country that gives us everything,” he vowed.
Dr Shoaib said that Jahangir Khan’s condition was not out of danger as he received critical wounds in his head, legs and chest and the next 48 hours were important for his life.
Head Constable Muhammad Shahid said that such cowardly incidents could not shatter our resolve to fight the menace of terrorism with full might. “I believe that life and death are decided by Allah Almighty and all our martyrs’ of the police force live in our heart and mind and their sacrifices would not go in vain.”
Professor Dr Muhammad Shoaib said that currently 17 injured of the KP police were being treated at LRH’s orthopedics ward and surgeries of the majority injured cops were performed successfully. The condition of all admitted cops except Jahangir Khan was out of danger and one cop Yasir Ameen was discharged today.
According to KP police spokesman, so far 92 people, most of them policemen, have been martyred and around 80 injured who were being treated in different hospitals of Peshawar.
The martyrs also included the prayer leader Sahibzada Noorul Ameen, Inspectors Dauran Shah and Irfan Khan, ASI Rizwan and others whose collective funeral prayer was offered at Malik Saad Shaheed police lines last night and laid to rest in their native areas with grief and sobbing.
Bilal Faizi, spokesman of Rescue-1122 told APP that search and rescue operations in the collapsed mosque have been completed after shifting of 146 victims including 54 martyred and 94 injured besides retrieving of about 17 dead bodies from the mosque’s rubble.
Muazzam Jah Ansari, IGP KP has directed police investigators to carryout expeditious investigation into the blast and probe how the suicide bomber sneaked into Police-line mosque without being detected.
Talking to police officers, the IGP also sought a report about security laps and was told that the suicide bomber might have joined the people entering for Zuhr prayer in mosque. Strict action would be taken in case of security lapse on part of security staff.
“The Police Lines blast was a serious security breach and complete investigation was required to determine whether the bomber was present in the police line or facilitated by some insider to target police cops in the mosque located in the red zone,” said former IGP, Syed Ikhtar Ali Shah while talking to APP.
He said the capacity building of anti-terrorism bodies including CTD and police investigators besides strengthening the intelligence system was required to defeat terrorism.
Ikhtair Wali Khan, PML-N KP spokesman has accused PTI’s government for its lacklustre approach by not meeting the overall requirements of the counter terrorism department and police especially in terms of equipment and training etc.
“The Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has cancelled all his official engagements as soon as he heard of the blast and rushed to Peshawar to inquire after the health of injured victims at LRH,” he said.
The Prime Minister attended a high-level law and order meeting in Peshawar and assured to enhance the capacity of anti terrorism institutions and police force, full implementation of the national action plan (NAP) and strict punishment to the miscreants and their facilitators.
Ikhtair Wali said the Prime Minister has passed a strong message during his visit that nefarious designs of terrorists would be thwarted with full might with the cooperation of state institutions and the people of Pakistan.
Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had united all the national and stakeholders after APS deadly attack in 2014 in Peshawar and devised a comprehensive national action plan in consultation with all political parties and relevant authorities, and speedy courts were established that greatly helped curb terrorism in the country.
To express solidarity with the blast victims and condemn the horrific bombing, the KP government has observed one day of official mourning in the province where the national flag was kept at half mast at all government and private buildings.
The people continued to gather at the residences of the martyrs and offered Fateha with bereaved families and expressed solidarity with them. Overall a gloomy day prevailed in KP especially in Charsadda, Nowsehra, Swabi, Mardan and Peshawar from where most of the martyred cops belonged to. People of all walks of life including ministers and former lawmakers besides civil society strongly condemned the horrific bombing and visited LRH to inquire after the injured cops.