Peshawar (Staff Report/Agencies): The death toll in the Peshawar suicide attack has increased to 20.
At least 20 people including Awami National Party (ANP) leader Barrister Haroon Bilour lost their lives and more than 6o people were injured in an explosion which occurred late Tuesday night in the Yakatoot neighbourhood moments after Bilour arrived at the site of a corner meeting. He suffered serious injuries and was shifted to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) where he succumbed to his wounds.
He was contesting the election from the PK-78 constituency.
The funeral of Bilour will be offered at 5pm in Wazir Bagh area of Peshawar. Funeral prayers of nine blast victims were offered on Wednesday morning. They were laid to rest at Rehman Baba graveyard.
The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the suicide blast.
Bilour, whose father Bashir Bilour was also killed in a TTP-claimed suicide attack in 2012.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) spokesperson today announced that the election for PK-78 has been postponed due to the tragedy.
The death toll was initially reported to be 13, but it rose to 20 overnight.
The National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) on Monday had revealed the names of six personalities, including Imran Khan and Hafiz Saeed’s son, who could be targeted by terrorists during the ongoing election campaign.
“Six people include Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan, Awami National Party leaders Asfandyar Wali and Ameer Haider Hoti, Qaumi Watan Party head Aftab Sherpao, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leader Akram Khan Durrani and Hafiz Saeed’s son Talha Saeed. Moreover, there are threats to senior leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz,” NACTA director Obaid Farooq said while briefing the Senate Standing Committee on Interior.
He said NACTA had forwarded 12 threat alerts to the federal interior and provincial home ministries as well as law enforcement agencies.
