PISHIN -UNS: At least 24 people were killed and over 30 injured in two separate bomb blasts targeting the offices of candidates contesting the Feb 8 general elections in Pishin and Killa Saifullah districts of Balochistan on Wednesday.
According to details, the terrorism act in Killa Abdullah was carried out outside an election office of Maulana Abdul Wasay, a JUI-F leader, as people had gathered on the premises for a meeting.
However, Wasay, who is a JUI-F candidate from PB-3, wasn’t present in the meeting when the bomb blast rocked the area, as the investigators are trying to ascertain the nature of the explosion by collecting evidence from the site.
Balochistan Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai put the number of deaths at 12 and injured at eight. However, there are fears that the death toll may climb.
Earlier in the day, 12 people were killed and 25 injured in an explosion at the election office of a candidate in Pishin, Balochistan, less than 24 hours before Pakistan goes for polling.
The terrorists targeted the office of Asfandyar Yar Khan Kakar – an independent candidate for PB-47 – at Khanozai Bazaar which houses the local administration offices. He is a former Balochistan Assembly member and provincial minister.
Soon after the deadly explosion, the law enforcers and security officials as well as administration officials reached the spot and started the rescue efforts with the help of locals.
According to the local officials, the severely injured persons are being shifted to Quetta which is around 78 kilometres south of Khanozai and 191 kilometres southwest of Killa Saifullah.
Meanwhile, emergency has been declared at the Civil Hospital Quetta as the health facility is tackling a number of seriously wounded persons.
With the law enforcing agency busy in securing the crime scene and launching a preliminary probe, there are reports that the bomb in Pishin was planted in a bike parked outside the premises.
Reacting to the Pishin terror attack news, Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi said no sacrifice could deter the people of Pakistan from participating in the democratic process.
