Khyber Paktunkhwa Inspector-General Moazzam Jah Ansari has made it clear that nobody will be allowed to play with the peace and security of the province. He was addressing press conference on Thursday about the status of the investigation into the horrific January 30 Peshawar suicide bomb blast at a mosque inside a highly sensitive police headquarters which claimed over 100 lives. The attack took place during afternoon worship. An entire wall and some of its roof was blown out. Bloodied survivors emerged limping from the wreckage, while bodies were ferried away in ambulances.

Responding a question related investigation, he Ansari that the police was closing in on the terror network behind the suicide attack on a mosque in the Peshawar Police Lines area, disclsoed that the bomber was clad in a police uniform. The police headquarters in Peshawar is in one of the most tightly controlled areas of the city, housing intelligence and counter-terrorism bureaus, and is next door to the regional secretariat. He stated that police had found ball bearings from the blast site. “We found ball bearings used in a suicide jacket from underneath the rubble of the mosque.

“This was a suicide bomber and we have traced him we have obtained the CCTV footage of his movement from Khyber Road to the Police Lines then how he parked his motorcycle on a side he was in a police uniform and was wearing a mask and a helmet,” the officer revealed. “At 12:37pm, he (the attacker) entered the main gate on a motorcycle, came inside, talked to a constable and asked him where the mosque was. This means that the attacker was not aware of the area he was given a target and there is an entire network behind him he was not a lone wolf,” Ansari said.

He went on to say that the police have traced the attacker’s motorcycle as well. “Investigation is a process that will require time, we are doing it diligently but it will require some patience.” Ansari revealed that 10-12kg of TNT, a high explosive, was used in the blast. The combination of the explosive and the ageing building contributed to high death toll. He added that the police could have cleaned up the debris within two hours with heavy machinery but they didn’t do so. “This is why there are people who are still breathing in the hospital today.”

The IG also said that the total death toll of martyrs was being reviewed by the police because of duplicated lists. “We will give you the exact number of martyrs after eliminating all duplication and it will be done in a scientific way.” “Both I and my police team are in immense grief right now people believe that we wear uniforms, but we are also humans who have children and families we are all in grief,” he said. Responding another question, Ansari stated that the police had raised voices against the attack to take revenge for each and every martyr, adding that the sacrifices of the policemen would not go in vain.

The police chief also said that conspiracy theories were being made to “incite my children (policemen), lead them astray and bring them to the streets”.Talking about the protest in his media talk today, the KP IG said: “We were still burying our dead when another storm brewed. My children were led astray and they started demanding protection.” Ansari said that if the officers, who had been trained to fight back, started talking about protection then “who would protect the country”.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-INP