On Friday, a huge blast inside a Shia mosque shook Peshawar’s Kocha Risaldar area killing 30 Pakistani citizens and injuring more than 50. The Police said that the attack took place when worshipers had gathered in the mosque for their Friday prayers.
There are no details available yet on the nature of the blast but reports have confirmed that the destruction caused in the area is severe. The Police and the rescue personnel reached the site to learn that 10 injured are in critical condition.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has condemned the attack and directed the provision of immediate medical treatment to the injured. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has also condemned the attack, saying he had directed the provincial chief secretary and inspector general of police to submit a report.
The Capital City Police Officer revealed that one police officer had died in the attack. According to the police, two persons attacked the policeman while they were trying to enter the mosque.
It is important to note that the attacks come specifically when Australia’s Cricket Team is in Pakistan for the first time in 24 years and the local authorities have drawn plans to keep them safe. According to the reports, Pakistani authorities have deployed 4,100 security personnel, army snipers and road closures for the players.
The Australian Team was skeptical to go to Pakistan for the bilateral series, but agreed as Pakistan claimed that it was ready and prepared for ‘everything’. In January, a bomb blast in the city of Lahore had killed three people and the incident was added to the list of hundreds of terror attacks and threats in the last few years.
Pertinently, International cricket stopped in Pakistan after a fatal terror attack on the Sri Lankan team’s bus in 2009. At present, the Australian Cricket Team is in the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium which is at a distance of 193.4 kms from Peshawar.
(The story is developing. Details will be added when more information is available)