Explosions inside Peshawar's Shama Cinema leave 11 dead
More than 60 people were present inside the cinema during screening of a Pashto film.
PESHAWAR (Dunya News) – At least 11 people were killed and several others got injured in three simultaneous hand grenade explosions in Shama Cinema in the capital of troubled Khyber-akhtunkhwa province, Dunya News reported on Tuesday. The blasts took place inside cinema hall where more than 60 people were watching a movie.
Police and rescue officials rushed to the site following the incident and surrounded the area while the injured people were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital where an emergency has been imposed.
According to rescue sources, all the injured have been evacuated and shifted to hospital while the law enforcement agencies and Bomb Disposal Squad launched search operation and cleared the cinema.
According to Dunya News, ten deceased had been identified and their dead bodies were being shifted to their hometowns.
Peshawar Police Chief Ijaz Ahmed said owners had been informed of the threats and asked to increase security.
He said that all the owners had been directed to install CCTV cameras.
Talking to Dunya News, ANP leader Senator Zahid Khan said that the government wanted to negotiate with militants but the terrorists were busy in targeting the civilians.
President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the bomb blasts in a cinema in Peshawar.
They expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives and directed for provision of best possible medical facilities to the injured.
MQM chief Altaf Hussain also condemned the blasts in Peshawar’s cinema and termed it as cowardly act of terrorists.
On the other hand, banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has denied any link to Peshawar blasts.
It is to mention here that this was a second attack at a cinema in Peshawar during this month.
On February 2, at least five persons were killed and more than 30 others were injured in same kind of grenade blasts in Picture House Cinema in Picture House Cinema in Qissa Khawani Bazar where around 100 people were watching a Pashtu film.
