Following the ghastly suicide bombing of the Pearl Continental (PC) Hotel in Peshawar, foreign missions have suspended their activities in the city. These include the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the American Consulate in Peshawar, the World Food Program (WFP), and other international bodies. Among the few projects that will continue to work in the area include WFP’s efforts for helping the IDPs of Malakand.

At the time of the blast, in which an estimated 500 kg of explosives were used, 22 foreign nationals were at the hotel. Two UN officials died in the blast and seven other were sounded. The motive of the attack, in the context of the prevailing war on terror, appears to be deterrence of foreign aid and support to the needy people of the region. But Fikret Akcura, the UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan, has made it vocal that they were determined to continue their humanitarian support to over two million IDPs of the province.

Meanwhile, news sources have pointed to an obscure Al-Qaeda-related group, called Abdullah Azzam Shaheed Brigade, accepting the responsibility of the hotel’s bombing a Pakistani Taliban commander Amir Muwiya is reported to have spoken on telephone to reporters in Kohat and claiming the attack’s responsibility. News sources tell about Muwiya’s correspondence that he called the bombing as retaliation to the military operation in Malakand and in Pakistan’s tribal belt.