By Staff Reporter
KARACHI: A suicide bomber killed at least 52 people, including a police officer, and wounded around 50 others near a mosque in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Friday, officials said.
The blast occurred as hundreds of people were gathering for a procession to mark the birthday of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), a public holiday in Pakistan, near the Madina Mosque on Alfalah Road in Mastung district, about 30 miles south of Quetta, the provincial capital.
“The bomber detonated himself near the vehicle of the deputy superintendent of police,” Munir Ahmed, a senior police official, told reporters at the scene. He said that the blast took place near a mosque where people were gathering for the procession.
The explosion was so powerful that it shattered windows of nearby buildings and damaged several vehicles. Images and videos emerging on social media and televsion channels in the aftermath of the blast showed bloodied corpses and severed limbs strewn about as onlookers assessed the damage.
Abdul Rasheed Shahi, a district health officer, confirmed the death toll and said that dozens of wounded people were being treated at a local hospital while more than 20 injured people had been referred to Quetta for medical assistance.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack, which came amid a surge in violence by militant groups in western Pakistan, raising the stakes for security forces ahead of national elections scheduled for January next year.
The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan, an umbrella organization of various hard-line Sunni Islamist groups, denied it had carried out the attack.
The Daesh group is known for attacks in Pakistan and beyond on religious gatherings and on minorities.
Anwarul Haq Kakar, the caretaker prime minister, strongly condemned the blast in Mastung and expressed his condolences to the families of the victims. “The government is committed to eliminating terrorism from the country.”
Jan Achakzai, the interim information minister of Balochistan, said the “enemy wants to destroy religious tolerance and peace in Balochistan with foreign blessings”. He appealed urgently for blood donors to help treat the wounded.
Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti, the interim interior minister, also condemned the attack and asserted that all resources were being put to use during the rescue operation.
He added that no effort would be spared in treating the injured and that terrorist elements did not deserve any concession. “Terrorists have no faith or religion,” he said.
Shehbaz Sharif, a former prime minister and leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, said he was “deeply saddened by the cowardly attack on innocent people” and that such heinous acts had “no place in our country.” “May justice be swift for those responsible,” he added.
Pakistan has seen a resurgence of attacks by Islamist militants since last year when a ceasefire broke down between the government and the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
In July, more than 40 people were killed in a suicide bombing in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province at a religious political party’s gathering.
Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, has long been plagued by sectarian violence, ethnic unrest and a separatist insurgency. The province is also home to several militant groups, including the Islamic State’s branch in South Asia and Baloch Liberation Army.
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