BY;ASGHAR ALI MUBARAK
At least 25 injured in bomb blast near Rawalpindi’s Ganj Mandi Police Station
RAWALPINDI: At least 25 people suffered injuries during a bomb explosion outside a filtration plant in front of Rawalpindi’s Ganj Mandi Police Station, on Sunday. According to details from Rescue 1122, three people are reportedly in critical condition, while 19 others had to be shifted to the District Headquarter Hospital in Rawalpindi. Three people who sustained minor injuries due to the blast were given first aid on the spot. Police have yet to ascertain the nature of the blast. A probe is being carried out to determine whether a timed device was used or a grenade. Initial reports suggested that it was a hand grenade attack but City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Mohammad Ahsan Younas said that it was too soon to ascertain the nature of the blast.The CPO noted that it was the second attack near Pirwadahai police station in 10 days. On December 4, one man was killed and seven other people were injured in a blast carried out using an improvised explosive device near Pir Wadhai police station.CPO Younas said today that there were reports of terror plots and added that progress had been made in the investigation of the Pir Wadhai blast. Taking notice of the incident, City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi Muhammad Ahsan Younas said that even though an investigation is currently underway, a terrorist plot cannot be ruled out as civilians were targeted.He said: “According to the initial probe, some people riding a motorcycle were involved, but we are further looking into the matter”.”We have also applied security measures at the DHQ Hospitals,” he confirmed. The officials said that the explosion occurred at a filtration plant situated across the Ganj Mandi police station. The area has been cordoned off and officials of Counter-Terrorism Department and forensic experts have arrived on the scene.In March this year, seven people were injured, one of them critically, when an explosive device was detonated in the busy Saddar Bazaar.A similar incident was reported on June 12, when one person was killed while 12 others injured in an explosion in the same vicinity. Interestingly, the blast site of Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed’s political office is about one kilometer away from Lal Haveli. Sheikh Rashid was also attacked during the election campaign as a result of which several of his political workers were martyred. Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has been given the portfolio of Federal Interior Minister a few days ago after which anti-national elements have carried out this operation.
