NOWSHERA, Jan, 6: Timely action taken by the Nowshehra police and personnel of the bomb disposal squad on Sunday saved a thickly-populated area of massive destruction after they defused an 18 kilogramme home-made bomb planted by terrorists near a hujra.

Police sources told Dawn that they had received the information at 10.30am about the presence of the bomb and reached the spot immediately and cordoned off the entire area, including Badrashi-Kaka Sahib Road.

They said the area people living in one kilometre radius were told to immediately vacate the area to escape the possible disaster.

They said the explosives had been planted into a pressure cooker to maximise the effect of the blast and to cause heavy casualties.

Experts of the bomb disposal, however, defused the bomb.

Residents of the area told Dawn that the bomb had been planted a few yards off the hujra of the brother of NWFP Additional Inspector-General of Police Khursheed Alam.