Pakistan: Two killed in blast near Peshawar's Board Bazaar

At least two people were killed while one sustained injuries in a blast near the Board Bazaar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Peshawar early Sunday morning, Dawn reported citing officials. The bodies of the deceased, and the wounded were moved to the Khyber Teaching Hospital and the blast site had been cordoned off, officials said.

Speaking to the media, Peshawar Senior Superintendent of Police (Operations) Kashif Aftab Abbasi said teams of the Counter Terrorism Department and other law enforcement agencies had arrived at the site and were collecting evidence. "We have found an almost mutilated body and a damaged motorcycle here," he said.

"The blast occurred during the transportation of four to five kilogrammes of explosives," the SSP told Geo News. He elaborated that the explosives were being transported on a motorcycle. "Two people involved in the transportation were killed while one was injured," Abbasi said, adding that the identities of the suspects were being determined.

Meanwhile, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur took notice of the incident and sought a report from the provincial police chief. In a press release issued by the Prime Minister's Office, PM Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the blast. The premier directed the provision of the best medical treatment to the injured.

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq also condemned the blast and expressed grief over the loss of innocent lives. Notably, Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in the past year, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan after the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022, Dawn reported.

According to an annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 -- marking a record six-year high. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan were the primary centres of violence, accounting for over 90 per cent of all fatalities and 84 per cent of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations.