PESHAWAR, Feb 18: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government will observe one-day mourning on Tuesday to show solidarity with the people, whose near and dear ones were killed in the Quetta tanker blast.
Talking to journalists here on Monday, Provincial Minister for Information Mian Iftikhar Hussain condemned the killing of innocent people in Quetta blast. He said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government would observe a mourning day on Tuesday to show solidarity with the bereaved families.
Also, members of Shia community held a rally and staged a sit-in at Qissa Khwani Bazaar to condemn the Quetta carnage.
Led by religious scholars of the sect, the protesters took out a procession from Imambargah Marveha and after marching through various bazaars staged a sit-in at Qissa Khwani Bazaar. Women and children also took part in the protest.
The protesters were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the killings of innocent people in Quetta and other parts of the country. They also chanted slogans against terrorists and banned organisations.
The protesters said that they could not tolerate the injustices meted out to them any longer. They said that they would hold protest demonstrations and stage sit-in for an indefinite period after consulting with their leaders because the government had failed to overcome the lawlessness.
Waseem Abbas, a spokesperson for Imamia Students Organisation, told Dawn that a meeting of representatives of different Shiite organisations would be held soon to devise plan for holding protest on Tuesday.
He said that the protesters would return to Imambargah Marveeha peacefully and would take to streets again on Tuesday.
Mr Abbas said that many members of their community including three specialist doctors had been killed in Peshawar but police failed to arrest their killers.
Similarly, he said, terrorists had started genocide of Shiites in Quetta and it was time to raise voice otherwise the bloodshed would continue.
Rural Circle SP Javaed Khan told Dawn that security was beefed up as police got information that terrorists were trying to enter Peshawar from Khyber Agency in an explosive-laden vehicle.
“The vehicle is still in Bara but militants are trying to enter Peshawar through the link roads,” he said and added that police were ready to foil such attempts.
The SP said that additional force had been deployed on the entry points and all the vehicles were thoroughly checked.
SHOPS BLOWN UP: Three persons sustained injuries when suspected militants blew up CD-cum-music shops in Bakhshi Pul area on Charsadda Road here on Monday evening.
An official of Khazana police station said that an improvised explosive device was planted at Mughal Market that went off with a big bang. The device was packed in a plastic can and detonated through remote control, he said.
The official said that three persons were injured in the blast. They were identified as Mohsin, Muntazir and Naeem Gul. The injured were rushed to Lady Reading Hospital for treatment.
Police said that the market was owned by Malik Mughal Khan, a local leader of Awami National Party. The injured were shopkeepers, they added.
Another explosive device was defused in Badhber area on the suburbs of Peshawar.
A police official said that the explosive device was planted near a government school. Police got information about the device and defused it timely, he added.
