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04-03-2022
By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report
PESHAWAR/ ISLAMABAD: A powerful bomb exploded inside a Shia mosque in Pakistan’s northwestern city of Peshawar on Friday, martyring more than 59 worshippers and wounding dozens more, many of them critically.
The explosion occurred as worshippers had collected in the Kucha Risaldar mosque in Peshawar’s old city for Friday prayers.
Peshawar police Chief Muhammed Ejaz Khan said the violence started when two armed attackers opened fire on police outside the mosque.
One assailant and one policeman were killed in the gunfight, and another policeman was wounded. The remaining attacker then inside the mosque and detonated a bomb.
Ambulances rushed through congested narrow streets carrying the wounded to Lady Reading Hospital, where doctors worked feverishly. No one immediately claimed responsibility.
More than 60 people were injured and the death toll may rise, said hospital spokesman Mohamed Asim.
“We are in a state of emergency and the injured are being shifted to the hospital. We are investigating the nature of the blast but it seemed to a suicide attack,” Police Officer Mohammad Sajjad Khan said.
Similar attacks have occurred in Peshawar, 190km (120 miles) west of the capital Islamabad – located near the border with neighboring Afghanistan.
Shayan Haider, a witness, had been preparing to enter the mosque when the powerful explosion threw him to the street.
“I opened my eyes and there was dust and bodies everywhere,” he said.
At the Lady Reading Hospital Emergency department, there was chaos as doctors struggled to move the many wounded into operating theatres.
“I saw a man firing at two policemen before he entered the mosque. Seconds later I heard a big bang,” said witness Zahid Khan.
Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the bombing.
In recent months Pakistan has experienced an increase of violence. Dozens of military personnel have been killed in scores of attacks on army outposts along the border with Afghanistan.
Earlier, an official of Australian Immigration Department (herself) told PMI on anonymity condition that according to the policy of Australia’s Department of Home Affairs, none of one Case or Visa officer as well as other officials even Immigration Minister is allowed to accept that “there is no existence of Taliban, Daesh, al-Qaeda, LeJ, SSP, ASWJ, JeI, ISIS/ ISIL or any other terrorist organization in Pakistan particularly in Karachi, Quetta and Peshawar just because to get US propitiations as per American World Order while, thousands of protection cases of Pakistani applicants have either been refused or still in pending during the last ten years, she produced 
dozens of cases’ decisions to PMI and tried to proof her claim hence, thousands of terrorists of above organizations have been either arresting or appearing and arising in different shapes, masks and forms and they have been killing, blasting, kidnappings, targeting and torturing hundreds of Shia Muslims including women and children almost daily, alternate day, weekly and monthly basis but Australia says, now peace has been restored in Pakistan and there is no lawlessness in major cities of country.
Actually the America and Australia are directly or indirectly involved in terrorism not only in Pakistan but also worldwide and both countries are real terrorists, sources added.
