ISLAMABAD: A day after a car bomb blast ripped through Serena Hotel’s parking in Quetta, leaving four people dead, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday condemned the “cowardly terrorist attack” and expressed his resolve to “not allow the scourge of terrorism to rise again”.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of innocent lives in the condemnable & cowardly terrorist attack in Quetta yesterday,” the prime minister said in a tweet.
I am deeply saddened by the loss of innocent lives in the condemnable & cowardly terrorist attack in Quetta yesterday. Our nation has made great sacrifices in defeating terrorism & we will not to allow this scourge to rise again. We remain alert to all internal & external threats
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 22, 2021
“Our nation has made great sacrifices in defeating terrorism & we will not allow this scourge to rise again. We remain alert to all internal & external threats.”
Reports citing people familiar with the situation suggested Imran personally monitored the situation on the ground until late at night and directed the Ministry of Interior to probe the incident thoroughly.
In his message, President Dr Arif Alvi said that “enemies of the nation” wanted to stoke unrest in the country through “their nefarious designs”.
صدر مملکت ڈاکٹر عارف علوی کی کوئٹہ دھماکے کی شدید مذمت
صدر مملکت کا قیمتی جانوں کے ضیاں پر گہرے رنج و غم کا اظہار
مُلک دشمن عناصر پاکستان کا امن و سکون برباد کرنا چاہتے ہیں، صدر مملکت
رمضان المبارک میں ایسی مذموم کاروائی کرنے والے ملک دشمن اور اسلام دشمن ہیں، صدر مملکت pic.twitter.com/DhK4tJ6l8B
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) April 22, 2021
In a statement carried by the state-owned APP agency, Alvi said the culprits, who committed this heinous act in the holy month of Ramadan, were the enemies of country and Islam.
He also prayed for the departed souls to rest in peace and for the grant of patience to their families.
‘ATTACK AIMED AT DISRUPTING PEACE’:
In a press conference, Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, while confirming that the blast was a suicide attack, said that the objective was to “disrupt peace in Pakistan”.
“The [attacker] was a suicide bomber and used C4 explosives [a plastic explosive used in military operations], weighing between 60 to 70 kilogrammes. He stayed in the car which has been sent for forensic [analysis],” he said.
The minister further said that six of the injured remained in hospital, while one or two were in critical condition.
Rasheed said that the attack was carried out by the same “forces which opposed the country’s development and wanted to undo the stability gained by the PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) government”, as well as disrupt Quetta’s peaceful environment.
He had on Wednesday blamed New Delhi for the bombing, telling a private news channel that Pakistan had only one enemy and it was India.
“We had handed over the command of 13 security check posts to police, and the Frontier Corps were also ready to leave several others before this bloody incident,” he said Thursday.
Without elaborating, Rashid said a final decision will be taken after investigations, adding that he had directed Balochistan Chief Secretary Mathar Niaz Rana to immediately look into the incident.
He said that Gwadar and Balochistan were important for the country’s progress, terming the port city the “future” of the country.
