MUZAFFARABAD: A mishap was averted in a rural area of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Tuesday after the bomb disposal squads defused a hand grenade placed outside an educational institution.

The explosive device was spotted by some students near the entrance of the school.

The students alerted their head teacher, who in turn informed the district administration officials.

Assistant commissioner Hattian Bala Ashfaq Gillani told Dawn that soon after receiving the information, bomb disposal experts from a nearest army unit were rushed to the school to check and defuse the device.

Shortly afterwards, they were also joined by the experts from the AJK Civil Defence Department, he said.

Quoting experts, Mr Gillani said, the safety pin of the device had already been removed so that it could blow up once anyone grabbed or tossed it away, out of ignorance.

“Thanks, neither any student nor any staff member tried to touch or fling it away, or else there could have been a mishap,” he said.

According to residents, the incident had sent a wave of fear among the students of the whole area.

Published in Dawn February 25th , 2015

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