DERA GHAZI KHAN, April 5: The arrested suicide bomber was shifted to Dera Ghazi Khan from Multan’s Nishtar Hospital for investigation after a surgery on his shoulder.

Fifteen-year-old Umer got his arm severed when he tried to blow himself up on April 3 at Hazrat Syed Ahmad Sultan’s shrine in Sakhi Sarwar after 20 minutes of the first blast. The explosive wrapped around his body did not fully explode and he was arrested by the Border Military Police.

Sources told Dawn that Umer had come along with Ismail to blow himself up among the devotees at Hazrat Sakhi Sarwar’s shrine. First Ismail, a sixth-class student of Rizwan Public School, North Waziristan blew himself in front of the shrine main gate where the visitors were engaged in ‘dhamal’.

Umer, also a student, tried to blow himself in the makeshift bazaar set up near the shrine but the explosive wrapped around him partially exploded and he lost his shoulder. After defusing his explosive jacket, the police sent him to the Nishtar Hospital for treatment.

The Dera Ghazi Khan police brought back the injured suicide bomber for further investigation. He was admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital under strict security arrangements.

Punjab Minister for Trade and Industry Dost Muhammad Khosa distributed cheques worth Rs1.5 million among the 14 injured. He told the media that the suicide bomber had been shifted to the DHQ hospital.

He said security should be enhanced at the northern border of the district.

Meanwhile, Dawn learnt through hospital sources that the injured suicide bomber was not in a stable condition and the doctors were trying to save his life.

District Police Officer Tassaduq inspected security arrangements at the DHQ hospital. He refused to comment on the condition of the injured.