PESHAWAR: Three back-to-back explosions occurred inside Peshawar\u2019s Shama Cinema on Tuesday, killing 11 people and leaving at least 19 others injured.<\/p>\r\n
According to Dawn News, multiple explosions occurred when a show was ongoing in the cinema.<\/p>\r\n
Subsequently, 11 people were killed whereas 19 others were injured, an official at Lady Reading Hospital, Syed Jameel Shah, said where the wounded persons were shifted by rescue sources for medical treatment.<\/p>\r\n
However, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ejaz Ahmed said eight people were killed and 22 others were injured.<\/p>\r\n
An emergency was imposed in LRH and additional staff was urgently summoned.<\/p>\r\n
Ahmed furthermore said three grenades were used and up to 80 people were in the cinema at the time of the explosions, according to news agency AFP.<\/p>\r\n
Meanwhile, security forces cordoned off the site of attack whereas army personnel sealed the area from Shami Road.<\/p>\r\n
Shama Cinema is situated in the busy Bacha Khan Chowk area of Peshawar.<\/p>\r\n
The blast at the cinema came 11 days after a similar attack at Picture House Cinema situated in Kabuli Bazaar area of Peshawar.<\/p>\r\n
The attack also came as negotiators for the federal government and for Taliban militants met for a second time today as part of efforts to end the bloody seven-year insurgency.<\/p>\r\n
Scraps of human flesh, blood-soaked shoes and caps littered the floor of the hall after the blasts, an AFP reporter at the scene said.<\/p>\r\n
Akbar Khan, 62, whose left arm and left thigh were injured, told AFP from his hospital bed that he was watching a movie when a deafening blast rocked the auditorium.<\/p>\r\n
\u201cIt seemed like a hot iron rod pierced through my left arm and leg as I was hit by ball bearings,\u201d he said. \u201cI ran towards the gate, from where I was taken to hospital.\u201d<\/p>\r\n
Pakistani Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid denied involvement. \u201cWe condemn the blast, its not our activity,\u201d he told Reuters.<\/p>\r\n
Backlash against PTI<\/p>\r\n
Awami National Party’s (ANP) leader Zahid Khan strongly condemned the attack and termed it a failure of security. He criticised the peace process and alleged that Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was a liar, adding that people behind the bombing wanted to destroy the country.<\/p>\r\n
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives whereas former president Asif Ali Zardari also condemned the incident.<\/p>\r\n
Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain immediately demanded the arrest of the people responsible for the attack.<\/p>\r\n
Imran Khan said the blasts were an attempt to sabotage peace efforts.<\/p>\r\n