PESHAWAR, Dec 18: Two powerful bomb explosions damaged the shrine of Abdul Shakoor Baba in the Chamkani area early on Tuesday morning.

The first bomb exploded at about 2.40am followed by another one at 2.45am, the caretaker of the shrine told Dawn.

“Some masked men came, tied me up with a pillar and planted the bombs at the gate of the shrine, which exploded within a span of five minutes, causing extensive damage to the shrine,” the caretaker said.

The bombs created two big craters in the floor and huge cracks in the arch of the shrine, police said, adding that the sound of the blasts was heard far and wide.

An official of the Chamkani Police Station told Dawn that the bombs were improvised ones and weighed 1kg each.

The shrine of Abdul Shakoor Baba was originally located at a corner of the Balahisar Fort on the Grand Trunk Road. It was shifted to the Chamkani area, when the government widened the road a few years ago.