ATTOCK (SW): Col (r) Shuja Khanzada, the Home Minister for Pakistan’s biggest Punjab province was killed along with eight others in a suicide blast at his political office near Attock on Sunday.
Police said the blast appeared to be a large bomb, and it had caused the roof to cave in as Khanzada held meetings with supporters in his hometown of Attock. Khanzada was trapped under the rubble along with 24 other people as the entire structure of his office building collapsed.
“The bodies of eight people have been pulled out from the rubble,” Zahid Saeed, the commissioner of Rawalpindi, told reporters, adding it was a suicide attack.
Rescue workers at the scene said eight bodies had been recovered so far. DSP Hazro Shaukat Shah was among the dead. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the blast at Khanzada’s residence and called for immediate rescue measures and medical aid for the injured.
Pakistan’s Dawn news have quoted sources claiming that banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) has taken responsibility of the suicide attack on Khanzada. They alleged Khanzada was under threat following the killing of LeJ chief Malik Ishaq in July. LeJ is known for anti-Shia militancy in Pakistan.
Shuja Khanzada was given charge of the home department in October 2014 and had been actively involved in major operations against terror outfits. The provincial department he headed was responsible for the maintenance of law and order, and protection of life and property of citizens.
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