PESHAWAR: One person was injured and several houses were damaged when an improvised explosive device went off outside the residence of a PPP leader in a street in Gulbahar-4 here on Wednesday morning.

“We were asleep when we heard a huge blast outside our house at about 5am,” Anwar Safi, who had contested last general election from PK-2 constituency of the provincial capital, told Dawn. He said the blast destroyed gates and walls of the nearby houses and smashed the windowpanes,” he said, adding when he came out of his residence there was thick black smoke and dust in the street.

Mr Safi said the blast also damaged water and gas supply lines and electricity pylons. A man in the neighborhood, he said had sustained injuries after being hit by a falling gate.

“We have no enmity with anyone and the people are worried as to who is involved in the terrorist act,” he said.

Mr Safi, who is also a businessman, said he had received no threats or demands for extortion.

An official of Gul Bahar police said the bomb contained about 800 grams of explosives which was packed in canister and possibly targeted the trader. He said a case against unidentified terrorists had been registered.

Meanwhile, unidentified people have thrown threatening letters in Chughalpura area in limits of Paharipura police station, asking people to stop visiting a local shrine or face their wrath.

“The letters covered in envelops, state that visiting shrines is ‘haram’ in Islam and all those working ‘against’ Sharia (Islam) would have to face action,” said a police official quoting contents of the letter.