July 08, 2008	Tuesday	Rajab 4, 1429

ISLAMABAD, July 7: Pieces of the suspected suicide bomber’s head have been sent to the forensic laboratory for the reconstruction of his face to help establish his identity.

Talking to media persons at the blast site here on Monday, Adviser to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik said the reconstruction process would be completed in two to three days.

Besides Mr Malik, Federal Interior Secretary Syed Kamal Shah, Inspector General of Police Syed Asghar Raza Gardezi, Senior Superintendent of Police Ahmad Latif and Assistant Superintendent of Police Mohammad Farhan Zahid also visited the crime scene and laid floral wreaths there.

A monument will also constructed at the site to pay tribute to those police officials who lost their lives in Sunday’s attack.

The adviser said investigators had collected the body parts of a person aged between 35 to 40 who they believed was the suicide bomber.

However, an eyewitness claimed a young man of 17-18 years of age with scanty beard and wearing Shalwar Qamiz targeted the police officials, Mr Malik said, adding that the statement of the witness was very important in the investigations.

He said potassium chloride type of explosive was used in the suicide attack.

Replying to a question that IGP Punjab informed the federal government in a letter that Umme Hassaan, wife of former Lal Masjid cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz, was encouraging some of the Jamia Hafsa students to carry out suicide bombings, Mr Malik said he had no information about the letter.

However, he said he would check the reports and asked the federal secretary to look into the matter. Mr Malik said security in and around the capital had been further beefed up, and deployments at different places had been reinforced.

According to him, commitments with the family of slain police officers and injured personnel would be honoured.

Meanwhile, the death toll in Sunday’s suicide attack had risen to 18 as Constable Hasnat Ahmad, who was among the wireless staff of the Special Branch died of his injuries in the Polyclinic.