PESHAWAR, Nov 8: At least 12 people, including a UC nazim, were killed and 35 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the cattle market in Adezai area on the outskirts of the city on Sunday.

Police sources said it appeared that the bomber’s main target was Adezai Nazim Abdul Malik who was earlier a Taliban sympathiser but turned against the terrorists.

Mr Malik had organised an armed lashkar against militants in the Peshawar frontier region. He survived several attacks in recent past.

DCO Sahibzada Mohammad Anis said that Mr Malik appeared to be the main target.

A cattle market is held in Adezai every Sunday.

Mr Malik was visiting the crowded market when the bomber detonated the explosives.

Some people said the nazim was on Taliban’s hit list and he should not have come to the market.

“He was under threat and Taliban were not willing to spare him,” Ameerullah, who was among the injured, said.

Witnesses said that guards of the nazim tried unsuccessfully to stop the man from going near Mr Malik. The guards tried to overpower the man and then the blast took place, Imtiaz Khan said.

Jafer Shah, who was injured in the explosion, said he had noticed a man in white car parked near the market.

“We thought that the person was Abdul Malik’s guard,” he said. “I think he was the bomber.”

A large number of people from adjoining villages were in the market to buy animals for the upcoming Eidul Azha.

The injured people were taken to hospitals in ambulances and vans. Dr Abdul Hameed Afridi, chief executive of the Lady Reading Hospital, said that 35 injured people had been brought to the hospital. Eight of them were said to be in a critical condition.

Some of the injured people blamed the district administration for the incident and said that despite threats from militants operating from Darra Adamkhel, not a single policeman had been deployed at the market.

Agencies add: The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was to ‘punish’ Abdul Malik for having raised a militia against the Taliban.

“We accept the responsibility for the Peshawar suicide attack,” TTP spokesman Azam Tariq told AFP by phone from an undisclosed location.

“Abdul Malik has met his fate, and if anybody else dares to raise a lashkar (militia) against us, he will be dealt (with) in same manner.”

“We have not been defeated in Swat, nor in South Waziristan,” he said.

“After the suicide attacks the government should be clear about our capability... We will launch more attacks in different parts of the country.”
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