COAS Gen Bajwa visits injured of Parachinar blast

PARACHINAR: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday visited Parachinar, the site of a deadly blast which killed 25 people and injured over 65 on Saturday.

COAS General Qamar Bajwa paid a visit to the injured of the blast at Agency Headquarters Hospital.

Strict security arrangements were made in the city upon the Army Chief’s arrival.

Seven suspects arrested

At least seven suspects were rounded up from different areas following Saturday’s explosion, Assistant Political Agent Shahid Ali Khan informed.

The arrested were transferred to an unknown location for interrogation, he added.

The official further stated that remains of bodies found at the site of the attack have been sent to Islamabad for DNA testing.

Markets in Parachinar closed as city mourns blast victims

Markets and shops in Parachinar remained closed today as the city mourned the death of 25 people in a powerful blast at Eidgah market early Saturday morning.

Security has been tightened around the city following the tragedy. Checkpoints and blockades have been set up in various parts of the city and vehicles are only being let through after thorough checking.

A combined funeral prayer of 21 of the victims was held on Saturday at Parachinar’s main Imambargah, after which their bodies were shifted to their hometowns for burial.

33 of the injured remain under treatment at Agency Headquarters Hospital, Parachinar. At least 20 of the injured are being treated in Peshawar.

25 people were killed and over 65 injured early Saturday when a powerful explosion ripped through a crowded marketplace in the northwestern city of Parachinar in Kurram tribal agency.

The explosion occurred at around 8:50AM at the city's Eidgah market, where a large number of people were shopping for fruits and vegetables.

The Inter-Services Public Relations, the military's media wing, said that the blast was carried out through an improvised explosive device (IED).