Blast kills 14 people including police official in Pakistan
Islamabad, Hilal Ahmad, September 3, AZERTAC
At least 14 people, including a police official were killed in Pakistan’s Balochistan province when a blast rocked the provincial capital Quetta after a rally last night. According to the officials and the Pakistani media reports, 40 people were injured in the explosion, which took place in the parking lot of a local stadium.
According to reports, a suspected suicide explosion near a political rally damaged more than a dozen cars and motorcycles. Government official Hamza Shafaat said the bomb went off in a parking area as people were leaving the rally. Following the incident, an emergency was declared in local hospitals.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif condemned the blast in Quetta and expressed their deep grief and sorrow over the loss of lives. While condemning the incident, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti said it was a cowardly act of the enemies of humanity.
Pakistan’s Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack, blaming India-backed terrorists and their facilitators for trying to destabilize the country by targeting civilians. A high-level investigation into the blast has been ordered by the provincial government.
Local Police Chief Majeed Qaisrani told the media that the blast occurred last night near a stadium on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. According to police, the suicide attacker detonated explosives near parked vehicles outside the stadium. The explosion caused severe damage to several cars and left scores injured. Quetta is the capital of Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
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