A suicide bomber struck worshippers at Eid prayers in Charsadda district on Friday, killing at least 50 people, police said. Around 100 were injured, many of them are stated to be in critical condition, district police officer said.
Former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao was the target who escaped unhurt. Several policemen who were on duty to guard the former minister were also killed and injured, according to official. Mustafa Sherpao, the younger son of Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao was also injured in the blast.
The blast occurred inside the main mosque in the small village of Sherpao, Sherpao's hometown at 8:30 am. According to witnesses, the bomber mixed with the worshipers who were in the second row of the worshippers in the jam-packed central mosque in the area.
The injured were shifted to a local hospital in Charsadda and several were taken to Peshawar because of their critical condition. Emergency was declared in hospital in Charsadda and Peshawar and people were asked through loudspeaker to donate blood for the injured.
The people were also asked to offer collective prayers for those killed in one of the deadly suicide attack in recent month in the country. It was the second suicide attack on Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao in less than six month. He survived in other suicide attack in the same area few months ago when he was returning from a public meeting when he was the interior minister. There was no claim of the responsibility of the attack but such kinds of attacks are blamed on anti-government militants.
INTERIOR MINISTER: Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz Khan said that special security was provided to Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao because he had received threats.
He said Sherpao was facing a real track. Hamid Nawaz said the security was tightened across the country after the Friday's suicide attack.
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