The targeted restaurant, known as Marhaba Hotel owned by an Afghan-Uzbek is famous for traditional Afghan-food, situated near a busy business centres of the provincial metropolis a few meters away off Ashraf Road and jewellery market, properly known as Andher Shehr and Lady Reading Hospital (LRH). The injured were rushed to the nearby Lady Reading Hospital, where majority of them were stated to be in critical condition.
Majority of the victims including hotel staff, two women who came to the hotel for lunch. "The blast was so severe that the bodies of victims blew out to the road," said eyewitnesses. The victims were also including the proprietor, his five-year old child and a driver of an auto-rickshaw.
"The severity of the blast could be judged from the scene of the blowing the lambs and body parts of the victims in the air," Tahir Zaman, a jeweller who was on way to the nearby Mohabat Khan Mosque told Business Recorder. Eyewitness Tahir Zaman said that flying human body pieces caused him vomiting.
Those who were killed and identified were Moinuddin, Qaim Jan, Shiraz, Khan Mohammad, Haji Khyam, Jaffar, Salahuddin, Mohammadullah, Syed Azhar, Shaukat, Hassan Abdal, Karim Shah, Saddaruddin, Karimuddin, Fazal Subhan, Ziyad, Sharifullah, Azmat, Nazir Ahmad, Mohammad Bashir, Naseer Ahmad and two women including Perveen Bibi and Marjana Bibi.
The death toll was likely to increase as the law-enforcement agencies and the hospital administration were facing difficulties to identify the victims. The injured were identified as Salahuddin, Shaukat Ali, Sharafat Khan, Hafeezullah, Muslim Shah, Inamullah Khan, Imran Khan, Muzamil Shah, Subhan, Abdurashid, Mir Zaman, Naeem, Mohammad Noor, Musharraf, Khurram, Abdul Karim, Marjan, Ejaz, Mohammad Hussain, Shiraz, Panda Khan, Naeem, Abdul Haleem, Nauman, Haji Pervez, Shakeel, Mujahid, Khitab Gul, Mohammad Hussain, Asif and Ibrahim.
NWFP Governor Lieutenant General Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai (Retd) has strongly condemned the bomb blast. The Governor, who is abroad on a private visit, said the terrorists involved in this heinous crime could not remain at large and will be brought to the court of law shortly. He has also appealed to the people for patience and cooperate with the law enforcement agencies.
Expressing his heartfelt sympathies with the members of the bereaved families. Lieutenant General Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai has also prayed that Allah Almighty may rest the departed souls in eternal peace and grant courage to the members of the bereaved families to bear the irreparable loss with patience and fortitude.
Chief Minister NWFP Akram Khan Durrani has also condemned the blast in Marhaba Hotel and termed it a gruesome incident of playing with the lives of the innocent. He said that the blast had claimed lives of a number of people and inflicted injuries on others.
The chief minister has termed it a suicide attack, saying that the law enforcement agencies found a written chit that stated, "Those spying for the United States would face the same fate," However; the public is not ready to accept the government stand.
He announced a cash amount of Rs 0.1 million for the family of each death victim and Rs 50, 000 and Rs 25, 000 for severe and light injured person. He also directed the launching of immediate high-level investigation into the blast, declaring emergency in hospitals and putting police on high alert in the provincial metropolis.
The Chief Minister directed the law-enforcement agencies to utilise all available resources to bring persons involved in the inhuman incident to give them punishment. He expressed deep sorrow and sympathies with the families of the victims, prayed for eternal peace of the deceased and fortitude to their relatives to bear the loss.
Durrani appealed to the people to exhibit unity in their ranks at this critical hour and show patience. He also directed provincial minister Fazal Ali Haqqani and Malik Zafar Azam to rush to the spot and hospital to supervise medical facilities given to the injured persons. He also directed the district administration to leave no stone unturned in assistance and consoling the victims.
Acting president, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI), Haji Mohammad Israr and members of the executive committee have also condemned the deadly bomb blast and lost of the number of precious lives.
The apex trade body of the province has asked the government that instead of taking refuge in words it should take concrete steps to arrest the growing trend of bomb blasts and other terrorist incidents in the province.
They said that the bomb blasts had played havoc with the peace of the city and the people were feeling insecurity. They said that the people of Peshawar in general and trading community in particular have been mentally disturbed and business activities have come to standstill in the city.
But, they said the government reports of better law and order situation. They called for investigation into the incident to award exemplary punishment to the culprits involved in the heinous crime.