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As Balochistan mourned yesterday’s grisly suicide blast in Mastung on Saturday, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) said it has registered a first information report (FIR) of the attack that claimed the lives of 55 people, including a police officer, yesterday.
Officials said the bomber targeted a 12th Rabiul Awwal procession people were gathering outside near Madina Masjid on Alfalah Road. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, however, the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan, denied its involvement.
A second bomb attack took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu, which targeted a police station’s mosque in the city. Five people were killed, and 12 were injured as the mosque’s roof collapsed in the explosion’s impact.
The caretaker government of Balochistan announced three days of mourning in the wake of the attack.
In a statement issued today, the CTD said an FIR with murder charges and terrorism offences has been filed against an unidentified attacker.
It added that the investigation into the incident was ongoing and no arrests have been made so far.
The CTD said the deadly attack resulted in the loss of at least 55 lives and left more than 60 people injured.
Meanwhile, the national flag was lowered to half-mast on government buildings, including the Balochistan Assembly, Chief Minister House, Governor House, and the Balochistan High Court today.
Balochistan caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai said the entire region of Mastung “is engulfed in sorrow”. He added that despite the heartbreak, the “courageous administration and security institutions are making efforts to restore a sense of normalcy as they and the families lay the martyrs to rest”.
He stressed that the government “remains resolute in its determination to combat terrorism and ensure the safety and security of its citizens”.
In an official statement, the provincial government said the injured people were currently undergoing treatment at several hospitals, including the Civil Hospital, Trauma Center, CMH (Combined Military Hospital), Nawab Ghaus Bakhsh Raisani Hospital, and DHQ (District Headquarters) Mastung.
Furthermore, over 15 injured individuals were transported to CMH yesterday, following the directives of Quetta Corps Commander Lt Gen Asif Ghafoor.
Yesterday, Balochistan interim Information Minister Jan Achakzai had said that the “enemy” wanted to destroy religious tolerance and peace in Balochistan with “foreign blessings”.
In a subsequent press conference, the minister had said the death toll in the blast “is immensely unfortunate”. He had revealed that a number of families had buried their loved ones without bringing them to the hospital, adding that the government had not included these people in the official death toll.
International condemnations
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar received a telephone call from UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement today.
“The UK foreign secretary condemned the terrorist attacks in Mastung and Hangu and condoled the loss of innocent lives,” the PM Office said.
Cleverly expressed solidarity with the families of the victims and hoped for the speedy recovery of those injured.
“The prime minister thanked Secretary Cleverly and the United Kingdom for their expression of solidarity and reiterated his government’s firm resolve to bring those responsible to justice and wipe out the menace of terrorism,” it added.
Rise in terror incidents
Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in recent months, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year.
Earlier this month, at least 11 people, including Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Hafiz Hamdullah, were injured in a blast in the same district.
A week prior to that, a Levies official was gunned down at a bus stand by unidentified men, while two others who were passing by were injured.
In May this year, unidentified attackers targeted a polio vaccination team in the Killi Sour Karez area on the outskirts of Mastung, resulting in a policeman being martyred.
In October last year, three people were killed, and six others were injured in a bomb attack targeting two vehicles in the mountainous area of Qabu in Mastung.
In July 2018, at least 128 people, including politician Nawabzada Siraj Raisani, were killed and more than 200 were injured in a deadly suicide blast in the same district.