“I identified my son from the clothes he wore that day because it was impossible to identify him from his face. He lost his shoes at the blast site, there were no shoes on his feet,” Javed, the father of Abu Zar Khan, 12, who was killed in Bajaur suicide bombing, told Aaj News on Monday.

The only brother of seven sisters, he was selling chips and snacks at the workers’ convention of the Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam-F when a powerful explosion rocked the gathering on Sunday.

He was among the 54 killed in a suicide bombing that occurred when Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s faction of JUI was holding a gathering on the fateful day at Shandy Morr in the outskirts of Khar city which is the district headquarters of Bajaur.

Read: Ideology, sect or politcs: Why is IS-K targeting JUI?

His father Javed said that his son was a student of seventh standard at a public school. “He would sell chips in his free time after school.”

“I work at Munda area of Dir. I called home to inquire if anyone from our area is injured [in the bombing] but they told me that everyone is safe. After coming back from work later that evening, I asked one of Abu Zar’s sisters about his whereabouts, on which she told me that he changed clothes and left home around 2pm,” Javed recalled.

Upon hearing this, he feared that his son might have been at the gathering and went straight to the hospital.

“The hospital was crowded and the security forces were not letting anyone enter the hospital. They let me in when I told them that my son has been lost,” Javed stated.

He first checked his son among the injured but to no avail.

“Someone told me to search my son among the dead whose bodies have been placed inside the morgue. I knew it was not him [Abu Zar] when I saw a pair of sports shoes placed on top of a coffin and another body with long hair. My son had short hair,” he said.

Javed then saw a body with a small piece of cloth covering it but was not identifiable by its face.

“When I saw the clothes, I thought these clothes are of our home. At that point, I was sure it was my kid. There was nothing else I could identify him with,” the deceased’s father said.

Deputy Secretary Information JUI-F for Fata Khalid Jan Dawar confirmed that JUI-F Khar’s head Maulana Ziaullah Jan was among the dead.

JUI-F spokesperson termed the explosion an “attack on humanity.” Maulana Fazlur Rehman appealed to the supporters to remain calm as he expressed utmost grief over the loss of life.

Abu Zar’s uncle said that his nephew was at the gathering only to sell chips and snacks as the family has no political affiliation with any party.

“He [Abu Zar] was the eldest among the siblings. Knowing the financial condition of the family, he would sell chips in the area to earn money for his studies and pocket money,” he added.

Around 83 people have been injured in the suicide blast and are being treated in different hospitals.

The involvement of the banned Islamic State - Khorasan Province has been identified as the organisation behind the attack. Meanwhile, a complaint has been registered against unknown terrorists.