PESHAWAR/ KALAYA, May 4: Suspected militants blew up Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf election office and three shops at two different places in the suburbs of the provincial metropolis on Saturday.

According to an official of Mathra police station, an improvised explosive device was planted near the PTI election office located at Pejagi Road, which went off early in the morning.

The official said that usually police pass through the area in the morning, but this morning police changed the routine and escaped the attack. He said that it seemed that terrorists’ target was the PTI election office. The election office was shut and there was no one there at the time of the blast.

“The blast took place at about 6:00am and that is why the people remained safe,” the official said and added that about two kilogramme of explosives packed in a canister had been used in the blast.

Also, three shops were blown up at Zwera Bazaar near Sherikera. A source in the area said that two huge blasts took place at about 1:30am on Saturday, but the people could not move towards the blast sites due to fear of attack by armed men. “We visited the bazaar in the morning and saw that three shops were completely destroyed and some others partially damaged,” the source said. He said that the area was located very close to the Frontier Region Peshawar where police’s role was next to nil. He said that people knew about those involved in such sabotage acts because they frequently threatened them through telephone calls, but none of them could dare to open mouth against the terrorists.

In Kalaya, a motorcade of brother of Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Raj Mohammad was attacked with a remote-controlled bomb at Uthmankhel area.

The motorcade was going to Ferozkhel from Ondkhel Chon Jana for election campaign when the roadside bomb exploded at Otmankhel. As a result, several vehicles were partially damaged. However, no casualty was reported.

The Orakzai Levies and security personnel reached the site of occurrence soon after the attack and started search operation.

Meanwhile, 12 more militants were killed as jet fighters again pounded their hideouts in Upper Orakzai tribal region on Saturday.

The jets targeted militant positions with bombing at Shin Qamar and Asmat Garhi areas in their stronghold of Dabori. The security forces claimed that five hideouts were destroyed and 12 militants were killed and seven injured. The security forces also claimed that 92 per cent tribal area had been cleared of militants.