I for one don’t understand this stupid logic of killing your own people to drive your point to others. If you want to create a big bang and you want to create the hoopla just blow yourself up in an open field or on a mountain top, I am sure it will make the news.
May Allah (SWT) bless the souls of who died in this blast and grant speedy recovery to those who were injured.
11 killed in Quetta bomb blast
One soldier among dead; 27 injured; ISPR says military vehicle was not target; Baloch Liberation Army claims responsibility
By Muhammad Ejaz Khan
QUETTA: At least 11 people, including a Jawan of the Pakistan Army, were killed and 27 others injured when a powerful bomb went off near a military vehicle at a busy market here on Friday afternoon.
Official sources said the time bomb was strapped to a bicycle, which exploded around 4.15pm, killing 11 people. However, independent sources contradicted the official toll, claiming that casualties were over a dozen.
According to an online report, Director-General Inter-Services Public Relation (ISPR) Major-General Shaukat Sultan while terming the blast an act of “open terrorism” said that the military vehicle damaged in the blast was not target of terrorists.
The ISPR chief said that the bomb exploded near the area where four vehicles, including a military vehicle, were parked.
The city’s busiest Mezan Chowk was crammed with shoppers, when the blast occurred. Its deafening boom was heard within an area of several kilometres. The blast destroyed four vehicles and its thud smashed windowpanes of the nearby buildings.
There were dead and wounded and blood was splattered all around, witnesses said, adding that people were also seen running for safety.
Official and Edhi Foundation’s ambulances rushed to the scene of the blast and started shifting the victims to the city hospitals.
Soon after the blast, personnel of the law-enforcement agencies cordoned off the area, as officials of the Bomb Disposal Squad started their inspection. “It was a high power time device weighing 15 to 20 kilogrammes which was fitted to a bicycle near an Army truck at the corner of Buldia Plaza in front of Mezan Chowk,” Rafo Jan Mandokhel, an official of the Bomb Disposal Squad, told this correspondent.
Witnesses said there was a big bang and soon thick smoke blanketed the scene, which made people to rush for safety.
Muhammad Saleem, 19, who sustained multiple injuries, told The News that he lost consciousness after being hit by shrapnel. “When I opened my eyes I found myself in the hospital.”
Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Pervez Bhatti said police and other law-enforcement agencies were investigating the blast from different angles. “We will trace out the culprits at all costs,” he added.
Soon after the blast, emergency was declared in the Civil Hospital, where provincial Health Minister Hafiz Hamdullah visited the victims and assured them of government’s cooperation. A large number of people also visited the victims in the hospital.
The deceased were identified as Wali Muhammad, Hidayatullah,Muhammad Irfan, Mumtaz Ali, Faizullah, Muhammad Essa, Ghulam Ali, Abdul Jabbar, Jamalud Din, Ali Gohar and Nasrud Din.
The injured included Saleh Muhammad, Allah Noor, Habibullah, Muhammad Saleem, Muhammad Qasam, Muhammad Asif, Ghulam Ali, Abdul Ghafoor, Muhammad Ikram, Qaisar, Prame Kumar, Kuno Mul, Muhammad Ilyas, Rehmatullah, Muhammad Ashiq, Behram Khan, Sardar Ahmed, Shafiq, Allah Dad, Nazia Bibi, Sadia Bibi, Hafizullah and others.
Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Baloch Liberation Army claimed the responsibility of the blast, saying they would continue their struggle for securing the rights of the Baloch nation.
Talking to newsmen at the Quetta Press Club by telephone from an undisclosed location, the spokesman also expressed his deep grief over the civilian casualties caused by the blast.