Man Loses 16 Family Members in Peshawar Market Blast

Twin bomb blasts in the city of Peshawar last Sunday, killed more than 40 Pakistanis and wounded 70 others.

It was the third deadly explosion to hit the city in a week.

Last week, suicide bombs killed at least 80 people in a church in Peshawar and 19 others died when a bus carrying civil servants was attacked.

The recent attack has left families grieving, including one family who lost 16 members.

Here at the graveyard in Shabwadar, hundreds of people are mourning.

They’re offering prayers for the departed souls.

65-year-old Sartaj Khan lost 16 members of his family in the recent bomb blast in Peshawar, 30 miles away from his home.

“I lost all my dear ones in the blast... my wife, three daughters, my son, two grandsons, my daughter-in-law and nephews. I can’t do anything. I’m a poor man.”

He sent his family by van to Peshawar, for a relative’s wedding ceremony.

His wife was inside the van when the bomb exploded in Qissa Khawani market.

“My wife wanted to go to Peshawar for the wedding ceremony. Everyone wanted to go with her and I couldn’t stop them.”

After the blast, Sartaj rushed to Peshawar.
 
“When I reached the hospital I saw dead bodies... one was my son, another the body of my nephew. I lost my senses... I have buried them all with my own hands. These cruel people have completely destroyed me. But how could hundreds of kilograms of explosives have made it into the city?”

The police said that about 200 kilograms of explosives were planted in a car, parked close to a crowded market near the police station.

It left a deep crater and damaged a mosque and dozens of nearby shops and vehicles.

Dil Raj Khan’s wedding has now turned into a funeral.

The 23-year-old was working in a shop when he heard the blast.

“Before my family left for Peshawar, I talked to my mother on the phone. I asked her not to bring the children here. Soon after I heard the blast, I rushed to the hospital. But every one pushed me away...  I was not allowed to see the dead bodies.”

Afzal Khan is Sartaj Khan’s cousin.

He lost his wife and 5-year-old son, Mohammad Aziz.

“My other son, 18-month-old Ihtisham, is still in hospital. I can’t understand why my son and wife were killed. How can they consider themselves Muslims after killing innocent people?”

Five members of the family are still in the hospital.

But the family has prepared extra graves just in case.