By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: The top leader of the far-right religious-political party Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) narrowly escaped a suicide attack in the southwestern province of Balochistan on Friday, officials said. The targeted assault resulted in injuries to at least seven supporters of JI.
Siraj-ul-Haq, the chief of JI, was en route to address a public rally in Zhob district, located approximately 340 kilometers away from Quetta, when his caravan came under attack.
Abdul Kabir Shakir, the party’s vice-president in Balochistan, said the JI chief was traveling with him and another provincial leader, when the bomber detonated himself near their vehicle.
“The suicide bomber targeted the vehicle by blowing himself up right next to our door, but all three of us and our driver luckily remained unhurt,” Shakir told reporters.
Sher Ali, a local police officer, said the suicide vest worn by the attacker did not fully detonate, resulting in fewer casualties.
“Had the suicide vest been fully detonated, it would have proved very deadly,” Ali said, mentioning that Haq’s vehicle sustained partial damage in the incident.
The official added that a body found at the blast site belonged to the “suicide attacker.”
In a tweet, JI also confirmed the safety of Haq, who was visiting the area to address a political gathering and reported that the attacker had been killed.
“JI emir Siraj reached Quetta today and had to go further to Zhob, where he has a political gathering today. When he was entering Zhob and people were welcoming him, a person came and blew himself up,” said party spokesperson Qaisar Sharif in a video message.
“Everybody was safe in the suicide attack, and there was no loss of life. According to initial information, only some cars have been damaged and a few people have sustained injuries.”
“The JI leadership is safe,” he added.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack thus far. Balochistan, which shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran, has long been the site of a low-level insurgency by Baloch nationalists.
The Pakistani Taliban condemned the attack in a statement and disassociated themselves from it.
In recent months, Siraj-ul-Haq’s party has been active in various parts of Balochistan. Some of its leaders organized protests in places like Gwadar, where Pakistani authorities are collaborating with Chinese companies to build a strategic port facility to draw attention to the plight of local residents.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif “strongly” condemned the suicide attack, directing the Balochistan government to conduct a comprehensive investigation from all angles and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
