A devoted father: human stories behind Kohat attack

Shinwari had repeatedly lamented his brother's death, saying: "Why did Javed leave me? It would have been better if I had gone instead. "Two months later, Shinwari himself was killed in the Kohat terror attack.

Tufail said Shinwari had two sons and two daughters, with his youngest daughter only six months old. He said the officer had been particularly delighted at her birth and considered her "the apple of his eye".

Despite holding the rank of SP, Shinwari was regarded by people in his native area as a friend and someone they could turn to for help, Tufail said. "Whenever people had a problem involving a hospital, doctor or government department, they would come to him," he said, adding that Shinwari generally returned home only on weekends.

The terror attack also claimed the lives of Muhammad Luqman and two young children, including his four-and-a-half-year-old son Abdullah,. Luqman's brother-in-law Muhammad Tanveer had been at work in Kohat when his sister called in distress, asking about her husband and children.

Tanveer repeatedly tried calling Luqman but received no response. Soon afterwards, he learned about the blast and rushed to hospital. When he arrived, he found Luqman's body.

The bodies of two children were also brought to the hospital shortly afterwards. The second child, Asad, aged around three-and-a-half, was Luqman's nephew, Tanveer said. Luqman, 37, worked as a laboratory technician and was also a volunteer with the Alkhidmat Foundation.

He was involved in arranging blood for people in need and served as the organisation's district blood-donation president,. His friend Muhammad Maskeen, who was also injured in the blast, had picked up his children from school and stopped to offer Friday prayers.

Maskeen said he had spoken to Luqman before the prayers and suggested that they meet afterwards to buy something for the children to eat and have tea together. "I went to pray, and I was in the middle of the mosque when the explosion suddenly occurred," Maskeen said.

He suffered minor injuries and was taken to hospital. He later saw Luqman's body being brought to the hospital, followed by the bodies of his children. Luqman's family described him as deeply committed to his children's education.