Suicide attack kills senior minister Bilour, eight others in Peshawar
Rescue workers collect evidence at the suicide attack site in Peshawar on December 22, 2012. – Photo by AFP
PESHAWAR: Senior provincial minister Bashir Ahmed Bilour was among nine people killed Saturday after a Pakistani Taliban bomber blew himself up in a meeting of the Awami National Party (ANP) in Peshawar, the capital of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Police and hospital officials confirmed that at least eight other people , including a police SHO, Bilour’s personal secretary, and ANP workers, were also killed in the blast in the Dhaki Nalbandi area near the busy Qissa Khwani Bazaar.
Bilour, the second most senior member of the provincial Cabinet, was critically wounded with injuries to the chest and stomach and was being treated in the operation theatre, a senior hospital official had earlier confirmed before senior minister passed away.
Bilour had “wounds to the chest and stomach. We tried our best to save his life” but he died during surgery, Arshad Javed, a senior doctor at the hospital told news agency AFP.
According to details, the blast took place when senior leader Bilour along with the provincial leadership and workers of the ANP, which is the largest and the ruling party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, had gathered for a party meeting.
Bomb squad experts said the suicide bomber detonated his explosives when the meeting was at its peak.
“The suicide bomber walked into the house where the meeting was taking place and detonated his vest,” Shafqat Malik, chief of the bomb disposal squad, told AFP.
Zahidullah, 30, a shopkeeper in the area, said he was standing to Bilour’s rear when the bomber struck.
“The meeting was about to finish when I heard a noise and soon afterwards I saw a blue flame and then the blast hit,” he told AFP.
Over 18 people were also wounded in the blast, hospital officials confirmed.
Speaking to Dawn.com from an undisclosed location, a spokesman for the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Ehsanullah Ehsan, claimed responsibility for the blast and Bilour’s assassination.
“We claim responsibility for killing Bashir Ahmed Bilour. It is revenge for the martyrdom of our elder Sheikh Naseeb Khan,” TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan told AFP.
Sheikh Naseeb Khan was a teacher at a madrassa where many Pakistani Taliban members were educated.
The bombing follows last week’s attack on Peshawar airport, when nine people including five attackers died in a car bomb, rocket and gun attack.
Earlier this month, the Pakistani Taliban had attacked an ANP rally in Charsadda scheduled to be addressed by ANP Chief Asfand Yar Wali Khan.
The Taliban spokesman had vowed to intensify attacks against political gatherings of “the secular ANP and MQM”, the biggest political party in Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial capital.
Spokesman Ehsan had said the ANP and MQM would be on their hit-list because of their secular views and their enmity towards the Taliban.
Mian Iftikhar Hussain, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa information minister and a member of the ANP, said both he and Bilour had repeatedly received threats from militants. He condemned the attack and said the government needed to intensify its battle against the Taliban.
“Terrorism has engulfed our whole society,” said Hussain. “They are targeting our bases, our mosques, our bazars, public meetings and our security checkpoints.”
Saturday’s attack by the TTP comes ahead of general elections in Pakistan expected in the spring.
May Allah Almighty rest his soul in peace. This is, no doubt, a huge loss. What a man he was? A brave, committed and honest to the people. Pakistan is in dire need of heroes like him but unfortunately we are loosing the few we have. I wonder, how long will it take to unite the nation againt the menace of terrorism. No body care about what is happening……….
Seal All the entries in & out of KPK. Lets see who repeats the wild act like Peshawar airport and Anp meeting Blast. agree.
MAY ALLAH BLESS HIS SOUL. WE HAVE ENDULGED OUR SELF IN A MESS. A WAR THAT WAS BY NO MEANS OURS, HAS BECAME OUR TOP PRIORITY. WHAT A SHAME.
We need concesus, if the current Government takes action against them without rest of the Leaders like Nawaz and Imran beating the drum against the war on terror, their would be chaos in Pakistan. It’s pity that people like Nawaz/Imran have gained followership yet their ideology and policies are completely insane. We have tried negotiating with Pakistan it didnt work, now it’s the time to take action against them, NAWAZ/IMRAN, please realize the facts and speak the truth infront of people instead of trying to gain sympathy of the Right wing voters.
Pakistani military will not fight Taliban, because they are Pakistani ‘brothers’ and it would be ‘unpatriotic’ to fight them, especially when Taliban are ‘sacrificing’ for the sake of Islam. Military’s duty is only to protect Pakistan from India!
Pakistan army has carried out multiple actions against these fanatics, remember that mass exodus of people that resulted from this war in North Pakistan a few years ago?
I agree, except for a minor (but major) issue.
I would substitute the Pakistan military by the Pakistani military leadership.
Many ordinary soldiers and officers of the Pakistani armed forces have lost their lives in the fight against Taliban, and I will not disrespect their sacrifices.
Is there any body to ask the government and security agencies, what is there output of last 10 years?. Are they totally incompitent? There is no law across the country and our security agencies are sleeping. If we analyise equally, no part of the country is safe. No justice at all. Until Justice across the board will be done, pakistan’s problems will not be solved. Our problem is rule of law, this is the root cuase
May be it’s time for Pakistan to swallow it’s pride and ask the international community to help.
Well you reap what you or in this case your brother sows. Just a while back the Taliban were his best friends because he approved of the bounty on the filmaker of the anti islam short film. To bad the younger brother paid for the sins of the older brother.
In the endless list of obituaries, here is another obituary of a brave man that Pakistan lost at a time when she desperately needs as many as possible. Mr Bashir Balour RIP.
As a resident of KPK, we lost a leader who could stand up to the evil Taliban. It hurts to see some below with negative connotations regarding the Bilours. Bravo Bilours and God Bless you all. The sick and evil will perish one day…
My Allah bless his soul and other deceased in this attack.
What a loss of precious lives every now and then, sometimes in one city another time in another city of Pakistan. What are the chances of peaceful negotiations with Talibans? What does the government plan to control/eliminate terrorism from the region? I have these questions coming to my mind frequently. I am confident those responsible will have to answer for their acts very soon.