12 killed, 31 wounded in explosion at Opp rally in Quetta

F.P. Report

QUETTA: At least 12 people were killed and 31 wounded in an explosion at a political gathering at Shahwani Stadium on Sariab Road in Quetta on Tuesday.

According to the report, a gathering of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) was under way when the explosion took place in the evening. Immediately after the incident, a state of emergency was declared at the hospitals in Quetta and the off duty paramedical staff was called to duty.

Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Sardar Akhtar Menga, who are currently part of the new alliance call the Movement for the Protection of the Constitution, were present at the political rally when the explosion took place.

National Party leader Mir Kabir survived the explosion, but his bodyguard was wounded in the incident and bulletproof vehicle was damaged.

The Balochistan government has ordered an investigation into Shahwani Stadium blast, said the Balochistan Home Department soon after the incident. Rescue teams have reached the scene and the injured are being shifted to a hospital, the Home Department added. Security forces have cordoned off the area and started collecting evidence.

The Civil Hospital Trauma Center identified those wounded at the Quetta rally as Nadir, Muhammad Sadiq, Siraj Ahmed, Naseebullah, Bashir, Ali Akbar, Muhammad Ishaq, Ahmed Nawaz, Shah Faisal, Farhan, Muhammad Murad, Irfan, Pervez, Waqar, Madad Khan, Shabbir Ahmed, Noor Ahmed, Farooq, Ijaz, Mir Baz Khan, Musa, Abdul Latif, Kashif, Bismillah, Baseer, Nawab, Kalimullah, Rasool Bakhsh and Zamran. The deceased were identified as Ishaq, Najeebullah, Shan, Hanif and Madad Khan.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the blast outside the stadium on Sariab Road in Quetta and expressed grief over the loss of precious human lives in the blast. He sent his heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the families of the deceased and prayed for the speedy recovery of the wounded. He said that terrorists and their agents from Fitna-ul-Hindustan were hatching a heinous conspiracy to create instability in the country by targeting innocent people. With the support of the nation, he said, nefarious designs of the Indian-sponsored terrorists would be foiled.