F.P. Report
MASTUNG : The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of Quetta on Saturday registered a first information report (FIR) of theMastung suicide attack that claimed the lives of 55 people, including a police officer, yesterday.
Mastung Assistant Commissioner (AC) Atta-ul-Munim had told media that the explosion took place when people were gathering for an Eid-i-Miladun Nabi procession near Madina Masjid at Alfalah Road.
“The bomber detonated himself near the vehicle of the deputy superintendent of police (DSP),” Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Munir Ahmed had told Reuters.
The Mastung AC had identified the martyred DSP as Nawaz Gishkori.
In a statement issued today, the CTD said an FIR with murder charges and terrorism offenses 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.
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.
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.
Rise in terror incidents
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.
courtesy : dawn news
