PESHAWAR, March 18: A policeman and three civilians were killed and 49 people, including a woman additional district and sessions judge, were injured in a suicide attack in a judicial complex here on Monday.

“Two suicide bombers entered the complex and one of them blew himself up in the courtroom of Additional District and Sessions Judge Kalsoom Zaman while the second was gunned down by police,” Capital City Police Officer Imtiaz Altaf told newsmen.

He said police had challenged the bombers at the entrance of the complex, leading to an encounter. Three policemen, including an inspector, suffered injuries. “There were two attackers and both of them were killed,” he added.

The injured constable, Abid Khan, who is under treatment at the Lady Reading Hospital, told Dawn: “I tried to stop the bomber for a body search at the entrance, but he pushed me back and opened fire. I saw another two attackers who started firing at police guards there.”

He said inspector Tahir Khan and constable Kashif were wounded.

Abid Khan said the attackers wore clean clothes and appeared to be about 18 years old. They were speaking a local dialect of Pashto.

Court clerk Abdul Saboor said he was doing his work when a huge blast took place and he suffered multiple wounds. “There was smoke and the injured were crying for help.” The rescuers reached about 20 minutes later, he said.

Shattered doors and windowpanes also caused injuries.

An official of the bomb disposal unit said that each of the suicide vests contained 8 to 10kg of explosives and ball-bearings. One of the bombers hurled a hand-grenade before blowing himself up. Parts of the bodies of the bombers have been collected.

The injured were taken to the Lady Reading Hospital where eight of them were said to be in a serious condition.

A spokesman of the hospital identified three of the deceased as constable Syed Jalal, Ishfaq Ahmed and Abdul Majid.

Khyber Pakhtunkhawa Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain told newsmen that the attackers had entered the complex in an organised manner and targeted innocent people.

He said it was an attempt to get the general elections postponed, adding that the next 20 to 25 days would be crucial.

The minister said there was a possibility that the attack might have been planned to free militants from the nearby central prison.