A blast at a market in Parachinar killed at least five people and wounded 40 others, a local official said on Friday.
Ikramullah Khan, the local political agent, confirmed the death toll of the blast that took place this morning in the crowded Noor market. The market place is a busy area and has several shops. It is also near one of the main imambargahs.
Security forces have cordoned off the area while emergency services have been dispatched to the site. The political administration has declared emergency at all hospitals in the area. An Army medical evacuation helicopter has also been flown to Parachinar for evacuation of the injured, an Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said.
The attack is reminiscent of a bombing at a market place early this year, which resulted in the death over at least 25 people.
The January attack was claimed by Lashkar-i-Jhangvi al-Alami along with Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) splinter Shehryar Mehsud.
The army had launched Operation Raddul Fasaad last month following a spate of terror attacks in the country, which claimed more than a hundred lives and left hundreds others injured. The operation seeks to eliminate the "residual/latent threat of terrorism", consolidating the gains made in other military operations, and further ensuring the security of Pakistan's borders.
Hundreds of suspected terrorists have reportedly either been killed or arrested in raids carried out by security personnel since the start of the operation.
Parachinar is 250 kilometres west of Peshawar and has a population of 50,000. In the wake of sectarian clashes in 2007 army and paramilitary forces set up several checkpoints on roads leading to the town.
Kurram, the tribal region of which Parachinar is the main town, the only part of Pakistan's border region that has a significant Shia population, has been racked by sectarian violence.
Courtesy: Dawn News
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