Friday 21, a bomb hidden in a fruit cart was detonated as shoppers thronged a market in Peshawar, northwestern Pakistan, just before sundown. Many were buying provisions to cook for their iftar meal, the breaking of the sunrise to sundown fast which Muslims undergo during Ramadan. Others in the market were buying food in preparation for the end of Ramadan festival of Eid ul-Fitr which begins this coming week.
Peshawar is the capital city of North-West Frontier Province. The explosion in the crowded market sent body parts and debris flying. Six people died in the initial blast, with another victim later succumbing to injuries. About 39 people were wounded in the explosion. Several of these are in a critical condition.
The news is carried by the Pakistan Daily Times, Dawn, Times of India, Reuters, China's Peoples' Daily, Pakistan's International News, the Seattle Times and Associated Press via Canada.com and Independent Online.
The blast happened 10 minutes before iftar in a bazaar outside Peshawar's Jinnah Park. The device was triggered by a timer. Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao, Pakistan's interior minister, said it was too early to say who had created the atrocity. He said: "It seems like a locally made IED. It is an attempt to create chaos and harassment."
According to Malik Mohammad Saeed, a senior police official, this was the sixth explosion in Peshawar this month. He said: "The previous blasts were benign ones. Those were probably warning shots. Today's blast shows the perpetrators are in real business now."
Provincial police chief Riffat Pasha claimed that the device was similar to another blast which exploded in front of a Daewoo bus stand last week. He said sketches had been made of the suspected perpetrators of the bombing, made with the help of witnesses. Pasha claimed that those responsible would soon be arrested.
No group has claimed responsibility for yesterday's attack. The region of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) is home to Pakistan's Taliban, and also to al Qaeda refugees.
Akram Khan Durrani, chief minister in the NWFP Assembly, has ordered a full inquiry into the incident. The provincial assembly has said that it will donate 100,000 rupees ($1,650) to the relatives of each person who was killed in the blast, and 50,000 rupees ($825) to each person injured.
President Musharraf condemned the bombing, and vowed to continue the war against terrorism. He has directed Akram Khan Durrani and the governor of NWFP, Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai, to report to him the findings of the investigation.
Prime minister Shaukat Aziz said that terrorists were trying to sabotage the government's measures to implement development and progress in the province.
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