PESHAWAR, Feb 18: Police said on Wednesday that a provincial minister escaped death when they seized a car laden with 260 kilograms of explosives which was chasing Minister for Sports and Culture Syed Aqil Shah during his visit to some projects.

A police official said the car was abandoned near the house of Union Council Nazim of Dheri Baghwanan, Kifayatullah Orakzai, at Chongi Chowk when suspects failed to get close to the minister.

“It is believed that the car with Islamabad registration plates was chasing the minister and it was abandoned when suspects failed to get close to him or detonate the explosives,” he said.

He said the area where the car had been abandoned near sensitive areas, Randas Bazaar, Grain Gowdown, Bana Mani police station and Cantt railways station.

Another police official told this correspondent that the explosives in the car could have detonated either by a remote control or manually by a ‘suicide bomber’.

A bomb disposal squad official said three detonators, a 170-foot-long electric cable, a remote control and other items were found in the car.

Minister Aqil Shah, who belongs to the Awami National Party, told this correspondent that “someone” had informed him on phone that an explosive-laden car was chasing him.

Later, he was informed that the car had been abandoned and its driver had escaped.