Four killed as Pakistani minister escapes attempt on life

Four persons, including a suicide bomber and three Pakistani security personnel, were killed and five others, including a former member of the provincial assembly, were injured Friday in a suicide attack on a federal minister in Peshawar, the capital city of the country's troubled North West Frontier Province (NWFP).

Federal Minister for Political Affairs Amir Muqam escaped unhurt in the suicide attack at his residence in posh Hayatabad district of Peshawar at around 4:12 p.m. The minister, who heads the NWFP chapter of ruling Pakistan Muslim League (PML), was chairing a meeting of his party's former provincial legislators and district mayors inside his drawing room when a suicide bomber entered the veranda of his residence.

"The attacker seemed to be in his early 20s. He tried to enter the room where the federal minister was sitting with guests but the security men tried to stop him and the terrorist detonated explosives fastened around his body," an eyewitness said.

The killed security personnel included Farooq Shah of the Anti-Terrorist Squad, Arif Gul of the Frontier Constabulary and Tariq Aziz of the Islamabad Police. Pir Mohammad Khan, a former member of NWFP Assembly and close relative of Amir Muqam and six others were injured in the blast.

"Pir Mohammad is in a critical condition as he received shrapnel in his head. He has been operated upon to save his life," the private secretary to the minister said.

A police officer said quoting eyewitnesses that the terrorist was sporting small beard and was wearing jogger shoes. He said the legs and head of the attacker were safe while the rest of his body had been torn apart.

Talking to media persons soon after the blast, Amir Muqam said he was target of the attack because he had recently received several threats. "The attacker wanted to kill me but Allah Almighty saved me. I am saddened with the death of my guards," he said. "It will be too early to link the attack with the ongoing unrest in Swat and <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Waziristan regions."

"The minister had just returned after meeting Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao, Chief Minister Shamsul Mulk and Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Salim Saifullah and was chairing a meeting of the party leaders when the incident occurred," said the secretary to the minister.

"Yes, it was a suicide attack," confirmed Peshawar City Police Chief Abdul Majeed Marwat. "The security personnel foiled attempt on life of the minister by sacrificing their lives. We cannot say anything conclusive about the incident until investigations are completed," he added.

Muqam had received a number of threats during the recent past. A key person in the government, Muqam belongs to Shangla district that shares border with Swat district where Pakistani security forces are facing stiff resistance from militants. At least two paramilitary soldiers were killed and 14 others injured Friday when a military convoy hit a roadside bomb near Kabal town in the scenic Swat Valley while militants released 51 soldiers of the paramilitary Frontier Constabulary who had surrendered to militants the previous day.

The minister made several attempts to avert conflict between militants and security forces in Swat but failed because militants were not ready to trust him for being part of the government. A deputy to the cleric, who is leading militants, had threatened in a speech on his illegal FM radio channel that if Muqam did not come to terms with them, he would be eliminated.

Muqam was elected a member of the National Assembly on ticket of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an alliance of six religious parties, and had later joined the ruling PML. Besides inclusion in the federal cabinet, he also appointed provincial head of the party.

This was the second suicide attack on the life of a Pakistani minister from NWFP during the past seven months. Earlier a suicide bomber had blown himself up near the car of Federal Minister for Interior Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao in Charsadda town when he was leaving after addressing a rally on April 28 this year. Twenty-nine persons were killed and 45 were injured in that attack.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />