At least 52 people were killed and more than 50 were injured, including officers and soldiers, in a suicide attack targeting a gathering marking the Prophet’s birthday in the troubled Balochistan province in southwestern Pakistan, officials announced on Friday.
Deputy Inspector General of Police Munir Ahmed explained that “the attacker blew himself up near the car of the Deputy Commissioner of Police” in the Mastung district of Balochistan.
The explosion occurred near a mosque where people were gathering in preparation for participating in a procession to celebrate the anniversary of the Prophet’s birthday, which is a public holiday in Pakistan.
High alert in Balochistan
Home Minister Sarfraz Bugti described the blast as a “very heinous act”.
As for the Interim Minister of Information in Balochistan, Jan Achakzai, he revealed that rescue teams were sent to Mastung, where the victims were receiving treatment in hospitals in the nearby town while the seriously injured were being transported to Quetta, and a state of emergency was imposed in all hospitals.
In parallel, Karachi Police announced that Inspector General Kazem Hussain Rand had ordered police to remain “on high alert” in light of the Mastung explosion.
Some activists circulated pictures and video clips on social media showing the destruction and blood-stained bodies left behind by the explosion in the vicinity of the mosque.
The Pakistani Taliban denies responsibility
Until now, no group has claimed responsibility for the explosion, which comes amid an escalation of attacks claimed by armed groups in the west of the country.
For its part, the Pakistani Taliban, a movement that includes several extremist groups, denied responsibility for the attack.
These attacks increase the risks facing Pakistani security forces, ahead of the national elections scheduled for next January.
Last July, more than 40 people were killed in a suicide bombing in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, during a gathering of a religious political party.
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2023-09-29 09:11:02
