Mastung Suicide Attack
The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) registered a first information report (FIR) for the grisly suicide blast in Mastung on Saturday, which claimed the lives of 55 people, including a police officer.
The bomber targeted a 12th Rabiul Awwal procession gathering outside Madina Masjid on Alfalah Road. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), known for previous deadly attacks, denied involvement.
A second bomb attack occurred in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu, targeting a police station’s mosque. This attack resulted in five deaths and 12 injuries as the mosque’s roof collapsed due to the explosion.
The CTD issued a statement announcing the FIR with murder and terrorism charges against an unidentified attacker. The investigation is ongoing, with no arrests made yet.
The attack led to the loss of at least 55 lives and left over 60 people injured. Government buildings, including the Balochistan Assembly, Chief Minister House, Governor House, and the Balochistan High Court, lowered the national flag to half-mast.
The provincial government disclosed that the injured were receiving treatment in various hospitals, including the Civil Hospital, Trauma Center, CMH (Combined Military Hospital), Nawab Ghaus Bakhsh Raisani Hospital, and DHQ (District Headquarters) Mastung. Additionally, more than 15 injured individuals were transferred to CMH as directed by Quetta Corps Commander Lt Gen Asif Ghafoor.
Balochistan’s interim Information Minister Jan Achakzai had previously stated that the “enemy” aimed to undermine religious tolerance and peace in Balochistan with “foreign blessings.”
In recent months, Pakistan has witnessed an increase in terror activities, particularly in KP and Balochistan, following the TTP’s decision to end its ceasefire with the government in November of the previous year. Overall, Mastung suicide attack took 55 lives till now.
Surge in Terror Incidents Adds to Security Concerns in Pakistan
Earlier this month, a blast in the same district injured at least 11 people, including JUI-F leader Hafiz Hamdullah.
A week before that, unidentified men shot and killed a Levies official at a bus stand, injuring two bystanders.
This year in May, attackers with unidentified identities targeted a polio vaccination team in the Killi Sour Karez area on the outskirts of Mastung, resulting in the martyrdom of a policeman.
In October last year, a bomb attack in the mountainous area of Qabu in Mastung killed three people and injured six others.
In July 2018, a deadly suicide blast in the same district claimed the lives of at least 128 people, including politician Nawabzada Siraj Raisani, and left more than 200 injured.
