Pakistan PM, president condemn terrorist attack on FC headquarters in Peshawar

ISLAMABAD: A suicide bombing left three Pakistani paramilitary personnel martyred at the border force headquarters in Peshawar city on Monday, police told AFP.

"Three FC (Federal Constabulary) personnel deployed at the gate were martyred and four others were wounded," said Peshawar police chief Mian Saeed, adding one assailant detonated explosives and two other attackers were shot dead by the security forces.

The attackers struck at 8:10 am (0310 GMT) on the premises located on Saddar Road, one of the city's busiest routes, just before rush hour.

An AFP reporter saw body parts of a suspected bomber lying outside the main gate, which was riddled with shrapnel holes.

"The attack has concluded, and a clearance operation is under way to determine whether any unexploded ordnance is present," Zulfiqar Hameed, the police chief of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, told AFP.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

'Timely action'

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault, praising the "timely action" of security forces for averting greater loss of life.

"The perpetrators of this incident should be identified as soon as possible and brought to justice," Sharif said.

"We will thwart the evil designs of terrorists who attack Pakistan’s integrity."

President condemns attack 

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the attack by terrorist belonging to “Fitna-e-Khawarij” on the FC Headquarters in Peshawar, said a press release issued by President House on Monday.

President Zardari expressed heartfelt sympathies with the families of the martyrs and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured, the official press release said.

“The attack is a cowardly act carried out by foreign-backed external terrorists operating against our beloved homeland,” he said.

“The complete elimination of terrorism perpetrated by the foreign-backed terrorist elements is a top priority,” President Zardari emphasized.

The president paid tribute to the timely and courageous response of the security forces and the police.