Asfandyar Abid Naveed

Incident Description: Suicide attack

On June 11, 2011, a reporter for the daily Akhbar-i-Khyber, Asfandyar Abid Naveed, 35, was killed and eight other journalists were injured — one of whom later passed away — when two blasts ripped through the military cantonment’s Khyber Supermarket in Peshawar. Around 39 people were killed and over 100 were injured in the blasts. Police investigators believed the first low intensity bomb was carried out as a trap to target first responders — mostly the police and journalists — who were expected to arrive at the site of the explosion.

Eight journalists, including Dunya TV bureau chief Saifullah Gul, Dunya TV reporter Imran Bukhari, a young intern at daily The News, Shafiullah Khan (who passed away on June 17), The News sub-editor Barkatullah Marwat, Geo News reporter Qazi Fazlullah, AVT Khyber cameraman Hashim Ali and two reporters for the daily Akhbar-i-Khyber, Sheheryar and Riaz, were among the injured.  According to press reports, a low-intensity blast caused by a small explosive planted in a toilet at the Lala Restaurant at 11:45pm drew rescue workers and police to the scene.

Offices of several electronic and print media are also located in the densely populated area and journalists who work and reside there also rushed to the spot. A few minutes later, a huge explosion rocked the area when a bomber on a motorbike detonated his suicide vest, causing a high number of casualties. The second blast left the nearby plazas badly damaged and smashed the window panes of several other buildings.  Abdul Haq of the bomb disposal squad said two kilograms of low-quality explosive material were planted at the restaurant.

He said the suicide bomber used about 12kg of explosives mixed with ball bearings. Meanwhile, the Pakistani Taliban denied responsibility for the blasts. Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan at the time said they did not carry out the attack. Earlier, on December 22, 2009, Naveed had survived a suicide bombing that ripped through the Peshawar Press Club. He had sustained minor injuries in that incident.

He was also previously struck by a speeding bus, resulting in fractures in one of his legs. Following that incident, he was hospitalised for several weeks and lost his job. The June 2011 blast that took his life came soon after he started his new position at Akhbar-i-Khyber.