- Blasts target election campaign of independent candidate, JUI-F office
- Deadly incidents on eve of elections raise serious concerns about security of polling stations
PISHIN/QUETTA: As many as 28 persons were killed and over 40 sustained multiple injuries after two powerful blasts rocked Balochistan’s Pishin and Qila Saifullah areas on Wednesday, the police and health authorities said.
According to police, the blast in Pishin targeted the election campaign office of independent candidate Asfandyar Khan Kakar in PB-47 constituency, Khanozai Tehsil of Pishin district while the other blast occurred outside the election office of JUI-F in Qilla Saifullah.
The fresh terror incidents come at a time when the nation is going to polling for general elections scheduled across the country on Thursday (tomorrow). Pakistan has been grappling with a sharp rise in terrorism, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which raises serious concerns about security during polling.
The police said the blast in Pishin occurred in Khanozai union council in after noon.
Pishin Deputy Commissioner Jumma Dad Mandokhail informed the media that the incident occurred outside the election office of independent candidate Asfandyar Kakar, who is contesting polls from PB-47 (Pishin 1).
The district’s administrative head informed that 14 bodies and 23 injured were shifted to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital. However, later, Khanzai Hospital’s medical superintendent Dr Habib Kakar said the death toll had risen to 18 after four of the injured people succumbed to their injuries.
DC Mandokhail claimed the explosive material was planted in a motorcycle parked in the area. The police, bomb disposal squad and other law enforcement agencies immediately cordoned off the area and began collecting evidence, he added.
Meanwhile, the second blast was reported in Qila Saifullah in which, according to Deputy Commissioner Yasir Bazai, 12 people lost their lives and 20 were wounded in the incident, which took place outside the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) election office.
Bazai later revised the death toll down to 10, adding that critical persons were being shifted to Quetta via a helicopter.
Maulana Abdul Wasay, the JUI-F candidate from Qilla Saifullah, was present inside the party’s electoral office at the time of the explosion.
The attack came as political parties wrapped up their campaigning in the quiet period mandated by electoral rules the day before the election.
Balochistan’s caretaker Minister for Home and Tribal Affairs Mir Zubair Khan Jamali took notice of the blast. Expressing regret over the deaths caused by the explosion, the minister sought a report from the deputy commissioner.
Security forces cordoned off the areas and emergency services initiated a rescue operation at both attack sites. The injured were shifted to nearby medical facilities.
ECP takes notice of blasts
In separate statements, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) took notice of the blasts and summoned reports from the Balochistan chief secretary and the provincial police chief.
Interim Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Ali Mardan Domki also took notice of the incident and sought a report from the provincial interior ministry. Expressing grief over the loss of lives, he directed the officials concerned to utilise all available resources to arrest the culprits.
Balochistan Chief Minister Ali Mardan Khan Domki condemned the attacks and sought a report from the interior minister.
He also expressed deep sorry over the lives lost and instructed concerned officials to arrest the perpetrators of the attacks, said a statement.
Domki maintained that the attacks were a “conspiracy to undermine the process of peaceful elections” and said the elements involved would be brought to justice. The chief minister added that all resources are being utilised to ensure the security of the people.
Condemnations
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar said that all efforts to sabotage tomorrow’s elections will be defeated.
Kakar expressed grief on the loss of lives in the explosions in Pishin and Qilla Saifullah, and ordered for the injured to be provided all medical assistance.
He said the government is resolute in ensuring the electoral process is concluded peacefully.
Interim Interior Minister Gohar Ejaz strongly condemned the twin attacks in Balochistan and said he shared the grief of the families who lost their loved ones in the attack.
“Anti-state elements want to create chaos before the general elections and stop the public from exercising their right to vote,” said the minister in a post on X.
He maintained that the government would not “let the evil intentions of the enemy succeed at any cost”.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also condemned the terrorist attacks in Pishin and Qilla Saifullah and added that those responsible would be brought to justice.
“Targeting innocent people is a barbaric act,” said Bilawal as he offered condolences to the families of the deceased.
PML-N President and former premier Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief and sorrow over the lives lost in the twin bombings and said these “cowardly terrorist attacks a few hours before the elections cannot dampen our spirits”.
He also prayed for the deceased and the affected families.
The blasts come a day after two separate blasts rocked the Kech and Panjgur districts of Balochistan.
There were no immediate reports of any casualties but the explosions prompted apprehensions about security, as the country approached the February 8 elections.
Unidentified assailants lobbed a grenade at the office of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) in the Hoshop area of Kech district.
In another incident in the Surdu area of Panjgur, the residence of National Party (NP) leader Abdul Qadeer Sajdi was targeted. Reports indicate that the explosion coincided with a crucial meeting concerning the general elections, adding a political dimension to the incident.
