Blasts at Peshawar cinema house leave at least three dead

Published
2

PESHAWAR: At least three people were killed and more than 30 others injured on Sunday night in two explosions at a cinema house in the capital of troubled Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, DawnNews reported.

The incident took place at Picture House cinema situated in Kabuli Bazaar area of Peshawar.

SP Peshawar city Muhammad Faisal Mukhtar confirmed the incident and the death toll.

“Two powerful explosions killed three people at Picture House cinema. 31 people injured in the incident with three in critical condition,” he said.

Mukhtar said that two home made hand grenades were hurled from back seats of the single screen cinema house where more than 100 people were watching the night show.

A stampede following the blasts was responsible for many of the injuries, he added.

Injured were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital where an emergency had been imposed.

Jamil Shah, an official at the LRH confirmed that three dead bodies and 31 injured have been brought in the hospital.

No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but police said that cinema houses in the city were already under threat.

Peshawar is a frontline city in Pakistan’s battle against Taliban insurgents, who regard films as sinful.

They closed down cinemas in the scenic Swat valley in the country's northwest which they controlled from 2007-2009.

The decline of cinema houses in Peshawar has also been accelerated by the advent of videos, DVDs and the Internet and today only seven remain.

Opinion

Editorial

Iran status quo
Updated 12 Nov, 2026

Iran status quo

The US cannot hold the world hostage in order to find an honourable exit from a disastrous war for which it has only itself — and Israel — to blame.
Unspent funds
12 Nov, 2026

Unspent funds

THE slow pace of development spending shows how public investment continues to bear the brunt of efforts to create a...
Homes and hope
12 Nov, 2026

Homes and hope

THE completion of more than one million homes for families displaced by the 2022 floods is a moment worth...
Opposition moves
Updated 11 Nov, 2026

Opposition moves

Expectations of the maulana leading another street confrontation with the government anytime soon are likely to remain wishful thinking.
CT battle
Updated 11 Nov, 2026

CT battle

Gains made over the last month should be capitalised on, with the affected areas permanently cleared of terrorists.
Water management
11 Nov, 2026

Water management

THE Sindh chief minister, while reflecting on Karachi’s water woes, recently observed that water supply is only part...