24 dead, 80 hurt in Parachinar blast

At least 24 were killed and more than 80 injured when a vehicle loaded with explosives and motor shells exploded on Friday at a busy market of Parachinar, the second major attack in Kurram Agency along Pak-Afghan border in the last two months. "It was a car bomb blast that occurred at around 11 am in Noor Market", told by an official of the political administration, who also confirmed killing of 24, including women and children. He said death toll may increase further due to few critical wound among 80 injured.
He said that those in a critical condition were shifted to Peshawar via military helicopter and the remaining were being treated at the Agency Headquarters Hospital. Following the blast, he said law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area and collected evidence from the spot and started investigation.
Earlier on January 21, 2017, a bomb blast at the fruit and vegetables market in Parachinar killed 25 with more than 60 injured, and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi Al-Alami had claimed responsibility for the attack. The latest terrorist attack, responsibility for which was claimed by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a splinter terror group of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), comes following extra-ordinary security along the Pak-Afghan border.
The same terrorist group had also claimed responsibility for a number of terror attacks including 13th February Lahore attack which was followed by Sehwan Sharif blast on 16th February Following these attacks, Pakistan Army closed all the border crossings with Afghanistan on 16th February as part of the security measures to check the cross border terrorists' infiltration.
But on March 20, 2017, the border crossings at Tokhram and Chaman were reopened as "good will" gesture directed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to facilitate the 2-way movement of people and goods between the two countries. However the Borki-Kharlachi crossing point at the Pak-Afghan border in Parachinar had remained closed due to security reasons. "The crossing point at Borki-Kharlachi is still closed for all kinds of communication", said Sajid Hussain Turi, MNA from Kurram Agency, who questioned the security arrangement of the local administration to prevent the terror attacks in Parachinar.
"The ordinary citizens have to pass through dozens of security check posts while entering Parachinar city. In such strict security, entry of a vehicle loaded with explosives and mortar shells raises serious questions", he added. He also claimed that security forces opened fire on the locals, protesting Friday's bomb blast which resulted in 3 casualties. "I strongly condemn the terror attack and at the same the security forces action against innocent people", he said, adding an investigation should also be conducted into the actions of security forces against protesters.
President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa strongly condemned the attack and reiterated the government's resolve to eliminate menace of terrorism from the country at all costs. The Prime Minister, in a statement said that it is our national duty to continue this war till the complete annihilation of the scourge of terrorism from our soil.