Bomb kills driver, hurts 2 children

December 14, 2010|Associated Press

PESHAWAR, Pakistan — A roadside bomb exploded near a school bus in northwest Pakistan’s main city yesterday, killing the driver and wounding at least two children, police said.

Peshawar, near the militant-riddled tribal regions of Pakistan and the Afghan border, has long been a favorite Taliban target. Militants have frequently attacked schools — especially those for girls — but usually when children are not present.

Police did not rule out the possibility the bomb may have missed its target.

The bus was hit near a private school, police official Shakir Khan said.

The blast ripped through the vehicle, leaving a charred shell and a crater on the ground. The words “Islamia Model High School,’’ painted in English, were still visible on the side of the green bus.

In a separate development, Pakistani authorities said they have arrested a doctor on suspicion of violating the blasphemy law by throwing away a business card of a man who shared the name of Islam’s prophet, Mohammed.

Naushad Valiyani, a Muslim doctor in the southern city of Hyderabad, was arrested Friday.

Muhammad Faizan, a pharmaceutical company representative, visited Valiyani’s clinic and handed out his business card. When the doctor threw the card away, Faizan went to police and filed a complaint.