PESHAWAR, Jan 31: Federal Minister Amir Muqam on Wednesday claimed that he had survived a suicide attack during a public meeting in the Hazarkhwani locality. A suicide bomber was trying to approach the dais but when the police fired at him he fled from the scene, Mr Muqam told a private TV channel after the public meeting.

Local police, however, contradicted the minister’s statement in unequivocal terms. “No person approached the dais,” said an official of the Suburb police station.

He stated that some reserve policemen deputed in a field near the venue of the meeting had fired a shot in the air after they had asked a drug addict to stop. The addict ran away.

It was only a trivial incident, which was blown out of proportions by certain quarters, claimed the policeman.