2017 Mastung suicide bombing
2017 Mastung suicide bombing | |
---|---|
Part of the insurgency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |
Location | Mastung District, Balochistan, Pakistan |
Coordinates | 29°24′31″N 67°11′22″E / 29.408737°N 67.189449°E |
Date | 12 May 2017 |
Target | Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri |
Attack type | Suicide motorcycle bombing |
Weapons | Explosive belt[1] |
Deaths | 28 |
Injured | 40 |
Victims | Hafiz Qudratullah (Naib emir of JUI-F's Quetta dist.) Iftikhar Mughal (director staff of the Senate) |
Participant | 1 suicide bomber |
On 12 May 2017, a
Bombing
The bombing took place as the suicide bomber targeted Haideri's convoy on the
Ghazanfar Ali, District Police Officer, Mastung, suggested after an initial probe that "a suspected suicide bomber hit Maulana Haideri's car".[1][10] The Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, Raza Rabbani, said that it was a suicide attack that targeted Haideri.[11] After the attack while talking to the media Haideri said, "I am alive, Allah has saved my life… broken pieces of the windscreen hit me. I am injured but safe."[8]
Victims
Maulana Hafiz Qudratullah, Naib emir of JUI (F)'s Quetta district chapter; Iftikhar Mughal, director staff of the Senate; Haideri's driver and Abdul Waheed, an Anti-Terrorism Force official, were among those killed in the bombing. Seven volunteers of the JUI-F who were escorting Haideri as guards, including Mohammad Adil, Mohammad Imran, Abdul Ghaffar, Zahoor Ahmed and Abdul Karim, were also among the victims. Several bodies could not be identified.[3]
Dr Faisal Manan, a National journalist, was among the injured, as were a young girl and a child.[3]
Initial response and investigation
Survivors of the blast, several of whom were covered in blood, began picking up body parts that were lying scattered on the road. Immediately after the blast, security forces rushed to the site along with rescue workers. A state of emergency was declared at hospitals in Mastung and Quetta. The injured and the deceased were shifted to the District Hospital and the Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Memorial Hospital in Mastung. At least 10 seriously injured were shifted to the Trauma Centre of Civil Hospital, Quetta.[3][1] While, after initial treatment Haideri along with three other injured was moved to the Combined Military Hospital in Quetta.[1]
After collecting evidence from the scene, an official of the
Reactions
The
Speaking to Geo News, JUI (F)'s Emir (chief) Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman condemned the attack on Haideri before adding that Friday's attack was not the first on the party. "Many of our dear companions have been martyred [in this attack]," he said further, adding that, "We have to continue to work for this country and the stability of Islam." Maulana Fazlur Rehman expressed his condolences to the families of the martyrs terming the attack a very painful incident for the nation and particularly the JUI. He added that "such incidents will not stop us in our cause".[7] The JUI-F chief also said such incidents occur "because we [JUI-F] stand with Pakistan, its law, and its Constitution".[7]
Chairman of the
On 13 May, a strike was observed in Quetta to mourn the death of the victims of the blast. JUI-F's party workers and supporters also held a demonstration in Quetta in protest against the suicide attack.[13]
The militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al Alami's spokesman also condemned the suicide attack, adding that the two groups have now split due to "policy changes".[14]
Local newspapers
The editorial of The News International noted that the attack "is a reminder that the internal challenges we face are even greater and cannot be blamed on other countries".[15] An editorial in The Nation also mentioned that "the narrative will soon turn towards blaming the 'foreign hand' that feed terrorists in Pakistan, it must be remembered that many of our terrorist groups are entities that are very much based in Pakistan".[16] The editorial in Dawn also echoed that "the country's civil and military leaderships will unite to condemn the attacks and bemoan them as an attempt to sabotage CPEC by outside forces. While there may be some truth to those allegations, the twin attacks in Mastung and Gwadar almost certainly have very local roots".[17]
International
- Turkey: The Turkish Foreign Office condemned the terrorist attack, and expressed solidarity with the Government and people of Pakistan.[18]
References
- ^ a b c d e "25 killed as bomb hits Ghafoor Haidery's convoy in Mastung". The Express Tribune. 12 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- La Nacion. Agence France-Presse. Archivedfrom the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g Shahid, Saleem (13 May 2017). "28 die as Senate deputy leader survives bomb attack in Mastung". Dawn. Archived from the original on 13 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ "Pakistan bomb attack: Balochistan blast kills 25". BBC News. 12 May 2017. Archived from the original on 13 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ "25 killed, several injured in Mastung blast". Daily Pakistan. 12 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ Sattar, Abdul (12 May 2017). "25 Killed in Suicide Bombing Targeting Deputy Senate Leader in Pakistan". Time. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i "25 killed, deputy chairman Senate injured in Mastung blast". Geo News. 12 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ a b Masood, Salman (12 May 2017). "Bomb Attack on Pakistan Lawmaker's Convoy Kills Dozens". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ Hashim, Asad. "Bomb attack kills at least 25 in Pakistan's Balochistan". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ "25 killed as Ghafoor Haidri's convoy hit by suicide bomber in Mastung – FATA & KP News – Latest News from Fata & KP at Radio TNN". radiotnn.com. Archived from the original on 15 May 2017.
- ^ "20 killed, deputy chairman of Pak. Senate injured in blast". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 12 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ "Imran Khan condemns Mastung blast". Samaa TV. 12 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 October 2017. Retrieved 13 May 2017.
- ^ "Strike observed against Mastung bomb attack". Dawn. 14 May 2017. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ Yusufzai, Gul (12 May 2017). "Bomb kills 25 as it hits convoy of Pakistan Senate deputy". Reuters. Archived from the original on 13 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ "Mastung attack". The News International. 13 May 2017. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ "Mastung Attack". The Nation. 13 May 2017. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ "Attacks in Balochistan". Dawn. 14 May 2017. Archived from the original on 14 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
- ^ "Turkey condemns terrorist attack on Haideri". Samaa TV. Associated Press of Pakistan. 13 May 2017. Archived from the original on 16 May 2017. Retrieved 14 May 2017.