Bombing kills anti-Taliban minister, 9 others

A pair of suicide bombers have detonated their explosives at the home of an anti-Taliban provincial minister, killing him and 13 others in eastern Pakistan, officials said.

Punjab Home Department Secretary Azam Suleman, however, told The Express Tribune that “as per initial reports, Shuja Khanzada, is critically injured and still trapped under debris”.

The suicide bomber entered the building disguised as a visitor and blew himself up.

Rescue workers using a crane to lift sections of the collapsed roof after a blast near the home of the minister of Punjab province, Shuja Khanzada, in Attock, Pakistan, yesterday.

Speaking at a televised meeting of his cabinet on Monday, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif vowed to “move forward with no holds barred” to take on the militants responsible.

“There were two suicide bombers – one stood outside the boundary wall and the other was already present in the hall before the arrival of the minister”.

The attacker struck when a local jirga (tribal council) was going on at the “hujra” (male guesthouse) of the home minster in Shadi Khan town of Attock district.

“Such blatant disregard for human life is unacceptable and contrary to the aspirations of the Pakistani people for a secure, stable, and prosperous nation”, the spokesman said.

Prime Minister Sharif and interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan condemned the terrorist attack. Khanzada was trapped under the rubble along with dozens of others as the entire structure of his office building collapsed.

Malik Ishaq was shot dead along with fellow Laskhar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) militants, including senior commanders, in Punjab.

The minister was actively involved in major operations against terrorist groups.

Earlier this year, Khanzada had said the Punjab government received threat alerts for airports, prisons, schools and sensitive installations, besides targeted killing of known personalities and kidnap for ransom.

Khanzada was at the fore of a campaign to target Pakistan’s Taliban and the group or its affiliates are strongly suspected of carrying out the attack.