Updated on
Summary
A suicide blast in Sadar area of Rawalpindi on The Mall killed at least 34 people and injured at least 32 others on Monday, reported Dunya News. According to police, suicide attacker was riding on a bike and blew him up at 10:40 am in front of National Bank in Sadar. Large numbers of people were present there to draw their salaries at the time of blast. The blast sound was very loud and heard till far in the surrounding areas. The injured are shifted to hospitals. Windowpanes of the surrounding buildings shattered after the blast. Sadar area is one of the busiest areas in Rawalpindi. Dunya News Correspondent told that blast occurred in quite sensitive area. He said that blast occurred in the joint parking of a bank and hotel. National Bank and PC Hotel are quite near to the spot where VVIPs stay. This area is quite sensitive and is quite near to the GHQ. The correspondent told that dozens of people were present on the spot when blast occurred and the inured are being shifted to the nearby hospitals. Most of the injured are being shifted to DHQ and CMH hospitals. Nature of the blast is yet to be confirmed. Entire area has been sealed after the blast and all the roads leading to the spot have also been blocked. Emergency has been announced in the city hospitals after the blast. All the education institutes have been closed in Rawalpindi after the blast. According to the bomb disposal squad, head of the suicide attacker has been found. Squad told that 10 to 15kg explosive was used in the blast. RPO Rawalpindi Aslam Tareen informed according to the preliminary investigations blast was a suicide attack. SP Traffic Ishtiaque Shah told media that most of the dead were those persons who had come to receive their monthly salaries from the bank. An injured told Dunya News that he came to receive his pay when blast occurred putting everything into dark and making him unconscious. Talking to Dunya News, Pakistan Awami League Chairman Sheikh Rashid Ahmad said that militants had struck in a very important and sensitive area. Rashid maintained that after being nailed down in their hideouts, militants had come to cities and Rawalpindi and Peshawar were relatively easy targets. The government used all the tactics to control over militants. Made agreements from Naik Muhammad to Baitullah Mehsud but terrorist utilized this time and re-grouped themselves. No the war is on and there isnt any space of reconciliation. This wave of terrorism might last for two to six months, Rashid added.
