QUETTA - Seven people died and 14 others wounded during a bomb explosion targeting protesters at a Palestine solidarity rally at Boghar Chowk in Chaman, Killa Abdullah district, on Friday.
The Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam Nazryati (JUI-N) had taken out the rally to express solidarity with the Palestinians braving worst Israeli barbarism.
According to police officers, explosive devices had been attached with a motorbike that was parked near the route of the rally. An eyewitness said the bomb exploded near the vehicle of JUI-N Vice-Amir Maulana Abdul Qadir Loni, who was leading the rally. Maulana Lone luckily remain unhurt in the explosion, which killed at least six participants of the rally.
The law enforcement agencies immediately reached the site and started rescue operation. The dead bodies and injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital where emergency was declared.
Four of the injured were referred to Quetta Civil Hospital in view of their critical condition.
Those died were identified by police as Muhammad Ibrahim, Abdul Qadir, Muhammad Ture, Abdul Rasheed and Mehmood-ul Hassan. The injured included Attahullah, Arshad, Muhammad Hanif, Pashtoon, Muhammad Sadiq, Zabiullah, Fazal Muhammad. Abdul Baseer, Hikmatullah, Azamtullah, Muhammad Iqbal, Malik Anayatullah, and Nematullah.
CM Balochistan, ministers condemn bombing
Chief Minister Balochistan Mir Jam Kamal Khan along with provincial ministers strongly condemned the blast of Chaman and expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives on Friday.
Chief Minister said practical measures would be taken against those elements involved in the incident to bring them to justice saying on body would be allowed to destabilize the peace. He said such cowardly attack could not weaken our moral and nefarious design of terrorist would be foiled at any cost in order to maintain durable peace.
Some elements wanted to halt development of Balochistan through conspiracy and terrorist activities, but people of Balochistan stand with provincial government and security forces including Pakistan Army to eliminate terrorism from the province.
He also ordered the concerned official to submit report of the incident after the completion of inquiry despite special instruction was issued to relevant department to take all possible measures to enhance security measures in the respective areas of the province for ensuring protection of public lives.
He also directed Health Department to provide best healthcare facilities to the injured of blast during the treatment.
The CM also extended his sympathy with families of the martyrs and prayed for early recovery of the injured. Meanwhile, Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Longove, Public Health Engineer (PHE) Noor Muhammad Dummar and Minister Provincial Agriculture Minister Engineer Zamrak Khan Achakzai also condemned the incident of Chaman and expressed their sorrow over the precious loss of lives in the blast in their separate statement.
