Pakistan Blasts Kills More Than 50 People
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
ISLAMABAD (Worthy News) – At least 52 people were killed on Friday in an apparent suicide attack at a religious gathering in southwest Pakistan, officials said, the latest sign of the country’s deteriorating security situation and growing Islamic extremism.
The blast occurred around midday in Mastung, a district in Balochistan Province. It targeted a procession of hundreds of people who had gathered for Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, a holiday celebrating the birthday of Islam’s Prophet Muhammad. Besides those killed, there were at least more than 50 people injured, according to authorities.
Balochistan’s police chief, Abdul Khaliq Sheikh, confirmed the explosion was a suicide blast. He said a senior police officer was killed while trying to stop the attacker.
The blast was expected to add to anxiety among minority Christians in the Islamic nation after they suffered revenge attacks over blasphemy allegations. It wasn’t immediately clear whether extremists would use Friday’s bombing as a pretext to attack Christians. However, scores of Christian homes and churches have been destroyed recently.
The blast came while at least five people died in a separate explosion at a mosque near Peshawar City in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Police warned the death toll could rise as many were still beneath the rubble after the roof collapsed.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police said, however, that “two suicide bombers and a vehicle full of explosives had been intercepted.” One of the bombers had been “neutralized on the gate” when he tried to enter the mosque, located in a police complex in the town of Hangu.
Back in the Baloch city of Mastung, footage showed injured people rescued by emergency responders and locals. “Bodies were lying on top of one another,” said Saifullah, a local journalist in his 40s.
CROWDS WAITING
“The crowd was waiting for a [celebratory] procession to begin. I was standing nearby when the bomb went off,” he said, adding that 10 to 12 of his relatives died.
Haibullah, 22, who was injured in the attack, told reporters, “Everything was ready on the stage. The bomb went off two minutes after I arrived. Everyone fell from its impact. I broke my foot.”
Sarfaraz Ahmed Sasoli, in his 20s, was part of security for the procession. He said the suicide bomber approached the area while religious leaders were gathering.
“My elder and younger brothers were injured, along with my friends. Everyone from our area has a brother, father or son injured,” he recalled.
Local hospitals were overwhelmed by casualties, and local authorities appealed on social media for blood donations.
As the extent of Friday’s drama became clear, officials in Balochistan declared a state of emergency. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti said the blast was a “very heinous act” and condemned “terrorist attacks” in both areas.
FREQUENTLY TARGETED
Bordering Afghanistan and Iran, Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province and has often been hit by fighters of the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani Taliban, and the Islamic State group as they seek influence.
Earlier this month, at least 11 people – including a prominent Muslim leader – were injured in an explosion in the same district.
However, the TTP denied involvement in Friday’s blast, saying such an attack was against its policies. The group also “vehemently condemned” the violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, stating that “mosques, schools, and public gatherings are not part of our targets.”
Pakistan’s caretaker Information Minister, Murtaza Solangi, said the “very fact that the terrorists chose to target the celebration of the birth of the prophet and the Friday prayer” proved that they “have nothing to do with any religion, ideology, and morality.”
The Pakistani state celebrates the birthday of Prophet Muhammad on the 12th day of the third month in the Islamic calendar.
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