QUETTA - At least five policemen and two civilians were killed on Tuesday when a suicide bomber wearing a vest having up to 10kg explosive material with ball bearings blew himself up near a police vehicle at GPO Chowk.
The attack took place at 6:04pm when a large number of media persons were present outside the Balochistan Assembly for the live coverage of the proceedings of the no-trust motion filed against Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri who resigned before the session could decide his fate.
The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, saying a suicide bomber targeted a police contingent returning from duty at the assembly building.
“The target of the suicide hit was police,” said Balochistan IGP Moazzam Jah Ansari, talking to media persons at the blast site. He added the primary target of the bomber was police that was why he blew himself up close to their vehicle.
Five policemen and two civilians embraced martyrdom while 25, including 11 cops, sustained injuries in the powerful explosion.
The bomber targeted the vehicle of Balochistan Constabulary when some 25 policemen were about to leave for the police headquarters after one hour following end of the assembly session, a report said.
The security vehicle was targeted some 250 yards from the Balochistan Assembly at Zarghoon Road where around 6,000 personnel of the law-enforcing agencies were deployed in the adjacent areas for the key assembly session.
The security forces cordoned off the area which had already been heavily barricaded. Rescue teams shifted the bodies and injured to Civil Hospital, Bolan Medical Complex and Combined Military Hospital. Emergency was declared in all the hospitals to cope with the situation.
“Six bodies have been brought to Civil Hospital,” said Dr Waseem Baig, the hospital spokesman.
The blast also damaged a local bus, three vehicles, a rickshaw and two motorcycles. Nearby buildings were also damaged.
The security forces sealed the area and media persons were barred from accessing the blast site.
A dreadful scene was witnessed as a large number of people were crying in hospitals while searching for their relatives who had either been killed or wounded in the blast.
“The explosive between 15kg and 20kg was used in the suicide blast,” said the civil defence deputy director in a report about the blast.
“The bomber who carried out the blast was on foot and was around 15 to 20 year old,” said the deputy director. The area was, however, cleared by the bomb disposal squad after strenuous efforts.
Deputy Inspector General Police Abdur Razzaq Cheema, earlier, said some 6,000 police personnel were deployed for the Balochistan Assembly session while 900 police were positioned around the assembly. The Frontier Corps personnel were also deployed to avert any untoward incident.
The suicide blast was condemned by Balochistan Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai, the outgoing CM, lawmakers, politicians and parties.
Agencies add: The bodies of five policemen and two civilians, as well as the wounded victims, were brought to the Civil Hospital, Dr Waseem Baig told Reuters, adding that death toll could climb as some of the injured were in serious condition.
Last month two suicide bombers stormed a packed Christian church in Quetta killing nine people and wounding up to 56, in the latest attack claimed by Islamic State in the country.
Five cops among seven killed in Quetta suicide hit