November 18, 2007	Sunday	Ziqa’ad 07, 1428

GUJRAT, Nov 17: Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Punjab vice-president Malik Hanif Awan’s residence-cum-office was jolted by a powerful blast at Sara-i-Alamgir early on Saturday.

No casualty took place as Mr Awan’s servant was the only person present in the house. He and his family have gone into hiding in the wake of crackdown on the opposition political activists.

Mr Awan described it as an attempt to kill him and demanded a high-level inquiry into the incident. The police, however, insisted that it was “something that had no explosive”.

Reports said the explosion occurred around 4.30am when Irfan was asleep and caused damage to the home appliances, furniture and other appurtenance. Irfan told the journalists and the police that he was jolted out of slumber in his room and first thought that it was an earthquake.

As he rushed out of the house, he said, many people of the area and the fruit market situated opposite to the house also came out after hearing the ear-splitting sound.

“There was no smoke or smell of burning in the house when I again entered the house along with some other people, but the curtain of the kitchen’s window was reduced to ashes and doors and panes damaged. Many cracks appeared on the walls and the roof of the main hall”, he said.

The visiting newsmen saw major damage to Mr Awan’s bedroom the door of which broke off and the air-conditioner fell in the rear compound.

Kharian circle ASP Asad Warraich and Sara-i-Alamgir Saddar SHO Mian Abbas examined the site. Speaking to newsmen, the ASI ruled out a terrorism act or use of explosive material in the blast.

“It is a unique kind of blast and we are collecting evidence from the site”, said the ASP, who was of the view that it might be a short-circuit or explosion due to gas leak. However, as the journalists showed him uninterrupted power supply and the gas cylinder lying at its place in the kitchen, the ASP responded that he had called out the experts to ascertain the facts. Several PML-N workers and supporters of Mr Awan gathered at his residence soon afterwards and expressed concern over the incident.

“Earlier the doors and the windows of the house had been broken by the police and now it is done through blasts and the objective is to harass me and force me to switch my loyalty”, Mr Awan said, blasting the government and its law-enforcement agencies for failing to maintain law and order.