<\/p>\n
At least three children were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast on Peshawar\u2019s Warsak Road on Tuesday morning, officials said.<\/p>\n
The police said three had been injured, while rescue officials put the number of injuries at five, including an adult and four children.<\/p>\n
According to Warsak Superintendent of Police Arshad Khan, the incident took place near the Peshawar Public School at around 9:10am.<\/p>\n
Police and rescue teams were sent to the site as soon as the blast was reported, he told media persons, adding that the injured children were moved to a private hospital.<\/p>\n
The official said that an estimated four kilogrammes of explosives, planted in a \u201ccemented block\u201d on the side of the road, were used in the blast. The area has been cordoned off and further investigation is under way, Khan said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would be premature to say who was the target,\u201d the official added. Reuters<\/em> also quoted Peshawar police chief Mohammad Ashfaq Anwar as saying that there was no indication school children were the target of the attack.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the spokesperson of Peshawar\u2019s Lady Reading Hospital told Dawn.com<\/em> that six injured persons, including four children, were brought to the facility. He said the condition of two children was critical.<\/p>\n \u201cAll of them are aged between 11 and 23,\u201d Asim Khan stated, adding that none of the children were wearing a school uniform.<\/p>\n Earlier, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Ahmed Faizi said windows of a nearby building and windshields of two Suzuki vans were shattered due to the intensity of the blast.<\/p>\n There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.<\/p>\n In a statement issued later today, caretaker KP Chief Minister Justice (retd) Arshad Hussain Shah condemned the incident and sought a report on the blast from the police high-ups.<\/p>\n He prayed for the speedy recovery of the wounded children and directed the hospital management to provide them with the best medical treatment.<\/p>\n Separately, Awami National Party (ANP) provincial president Aimal Wali Khan said terror activities near educational institutions and busy highways were concerning. He noted that today\u2019s blast was the second such incident on Warsak Road in recent months.<\/p>\n \u201cWe repeat that KP cannot afford the fire of terrorism anymore,\u201d Wali said, warning that the situation would worsen if the state does not take immediate action.<\/p>\n He demanded that the police should immediately arrest the culprits.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s blast comes as Pakistan heads towards general elections expected to be held on February 8. However, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Ghulam Ali had said<\/a> last week that it was difficult to carry out political activities in the province due to the security situation.<\/p>\n \u201cThe provincial government and institutions are responsible for sitting together and preparing a strategy for the way forward,\u201d he had said.<\/p>\n Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in recent months, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended<\/a> its ceasefire with the government in November last year.<\/p>\n Last month, five people were killed<\/a> and over 20 sustained injuries in a blast targeting police in KP\u2019s Dera Ismail Khan.<\/p>\nCondemnations<\/h2>\n
Uptick in terror activities<\/h2>\n