MARDAN, April 25: A police officer and two civilians were killed and 37 people were injured when an explosives-laden car exploded near a police station here on Friday morning, ending respite from terrorist attacks since the new government took power last month.

The car parked in front of a restaurant between the Mardan police station and a market exploded at about 6am, killing sub-inspector Farukh Sher and civilians Sher Mohammad and Subhan Uddin, on the spot and injuring 22 policemen and 35 other people, District Police Officer Tahir Khan told Dawn.

About 18 shops in the market and the police station were destroyed. Windowpanes of nearby houses were shattered and doors and shades of several other shops were damaged.

The injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital and Mardan Medical Complex. Two seriously wounded police officers were taken to Peshawar. Thirteen injured people who suffered minor injuries were discharged after first aid.A large number of people rushed to the hospitals for donating blood.

The DPO said he believed it was an act of terrorism and the target was the Mardan police station.

Out of 13 police stations in Mardan district, about 10 have been attacked by militants and a number of policemen and civilians have lost their lives.Local Taliban commander Abdullah claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack.

He told journalists on phone from some unspecified place that the local Taliban had avenged the murder of Hafiz Saeedul Haque. “On the one hand the government is talking of peace and advocating negotiations and on other it is targeting our people,” he said.

Sources said that about 25 armed men on Thursday held hostage for some time a number of boys playing cricket in Musa Khat Killey, creating panic among the local people.

Anwarullah adds from Bajaur: Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Maulvi Umar admitted that the local Taliban had carried out the attack in Mardan to avenge the murder Hafiz Saeedul Haque. He said police killed him when he had come to the Sawaldher area to attend his brother’s wedding.

However, he told Dawn on phone that the decision to avenge Haque’s death was taken before the TTP chief had asked his men to refrain from attacks in Waziristan, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and other parts of the province.

He said that now the local Taliban had announced a ceasefire they would honour it. However, he warned that if the government took any action against members of the TTP, they would not hesitate to hit back.

The spokesman said that talks with the government were going on but the two sides were yet to reach an accord.