The home minister of Pakistan's Punjab province Shuja Khanzada was among 21 people killed Sunday when two suicide bombers targeted his political office.
Khanzada, 71, was holding a public meeting at his constituency-level office in Attock district, 50 miles north-west of capital Islamabad, when the suicide bombers struck. The bomb blast caused the roof of the building to collapse under which Khanzada was trapped for several hours, reported Geo TV.
Punjab police chief Mushtaq Sukhera said that 21 people were killed and 23 others were wounded in the attack, according to News International.
"There were two suicide bombers, one stood outside the boundary wall and the second one went inside and stood in front of the minister," Punjab police chief Mushtaq Sukhera told reporters, according to Dawn.
"The blast by the bomber standing outside ripped the wall which caused the roof to fall flat on the minister and people gathered there," said Sukhera.
The banned Sunni extremist outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) has claimed responsibility of Khanzada's assassination. He continuously received death threats after the killing of LeJ chief Malik Ishaq in July.
Shuja Khanzada was a retired military officer and was leading a campaigned against Islamist militancy in Punjab province, the home region of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Nawaz Sharif vowed to chase down terrorists to their last hideout while expressing deep grief and sorrow over the demise of Khanzada, according to The News.
The #ShujaKhanzada hashtag quickly started trending. Read some of tweets below
#ShujaKhanzada embraces martyrdom (shahdat)...may his soul rest in peace...his mission continues! May the perpetrators burn in hell.
— Asma Chaudhry (@asmachaudhry24) August 16, 2015
Salute to #Pak hero #ShujaKhanzada. Your martyrdom strengthens our determination against our enemies in the region: https://t.co/kdRx4Z07P3 — Ahmed Quraishi (@AQpk) August 16, 2015
Last picture of #ShujaKhanzada & Shaheed DSP Shaukat Ali Shah taken few mins prior to the blast #BraveSonsOfPakistan pic.twitter.com/I61pzeFsxO
— Pervaiz Khattak (@CMPervaiz) August 16, 2015
#OurMartyrsOurPride #ShujaKhanzada was brave and bold officer who sacrifice 4gr8 cause of cleansing Pak wn't go waste pic.twitter.com/bgVgPfVohq — sumairajamil (@real_sumaira) August 16, 2015
#ShujaKhanzada Most lacklustre condemnations coming from govt, no one dares naming the terrorists, not the way to fight a war.
— Yasir Pirzada (@YasirPirzada) August 16, 2015
He was neither sitting behind a bullet proof glass, nor fifty feet away from the people who elected him and whom he served #ShujaKhanzada — Maiza Hameed (@MaizaHameed) August 16, 2015
