Islamabad: Former interior minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao had a narrow escape when a suicide bomber blew himself up during Eid-ul-Azha prayers in his native village in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province today, killing 54 persons and injuring 30 others.

Sherpao's son and nephew were among those wounded by the blast in the Jama Masjid at Sherpao village in Charsadda district. The former minister had gone with several members of his family to offer prayers at the mosque. 

Witnesses said Sherpao and his kin were in the first row of the worshippers while the suicide bomber was in the second row.

"The blast occurred during the Eid prayers, and my son and nephew were wounded," Sherpao told reporters.

The worshippers rushed the injured to a hospital in Charsadda while police sealed off the area and began gathering evidence.This was the second time year that Sherpao was targeted by a suicide bomber.

On April 28, a total of 54 people were killed and nearly 40 others injured when a suicide attacker blew himself up at a gathering in Charsadda that was being addressed by Sherpao.

The former minister had escaped with minor injuries.

Source : Agencies