A Day Before Election, Two Blasts Kill 28 in Pakistan
- VIVA.co.id/Natania Longdong
Pakistan – A day before general elections in Pakistan, two powerful blasts hit an election campaign office in the country's southwestern Balochistan province, on Wednesday.
The incident killed at least 26 people and injured more than 45 others, police and local hospital officials said.
"The deadly bombings, which targeted the offices of election candidates, took place in Pishin and Qila Saifullah districts of Balochistan province," said Balochistan Inspector General of Police Abdul Khalique Shaikh.
In the first blast in Pishin, at least 14 people were killed and more than 25 injured, while in Qila Saifullah district at least 12 people were killed and more than 20 injured, the official said.
"The terrorist attack occurred when a large number of workers and supporters of political leaders gathered for an election-related meeting," the unnamed official said.
Bendera Pakistan.
- Antara FOTO.
After the explosion, security forces and rescue teams rushed to the scene and transferred the injured to a nearby hospital in the district.
According to hospital sources, seriously injured victims were transferred to Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, by helicopter for better treatment.
Law enforcement agencies, police and bomb disposal squads cordoned off the area and started collecting evidence to ascertain the exact cause of the blast, which, according to preliminary investigations, was caused by a planted explosive device.
Mehmood Khan, an eyewitness and resident of Qila Saifullah, said he was standing near the election office of a religious political party with his cousin. Suddenly a loud explosion shook him.
"Everything was going normally until I heard the thunderous sound of the explosion. For a moment, I couldn't understand the situation as thick black smoke blocked my view, but I could hear the cries of injured people calling for help," he remarked.
Khan, whose cousin was also injured in the blast, said that after regaining consciousness, he and other residents of the area helped rescue workers move the injured to the hospital.
"It was chaotic," he added.
The provincial government declared a three-day mourning period for the loss of life in both attacks, according to Jan Achakzai, Balochistan's Information Minister.
Expressing deep grief and sorrow over the loss of lives in the blasts, caretaker Chief Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar strongly condemned the blasts and vowed to thwart any attempts by those who seek to sabotage law and order in the country.
The Prime Minister also reiterated the government's strong resolve to hold the general elections in a peaceful atmosphere.
Days ahead of the polls, the security situation in Balochistan and northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains tense, with a number of attacks and fatalities reported in several areas.
To provide a peaceful environment for voters, the government has deployed 596,618 personnel of law enforcement agencies, including police, army, and paramilitary forces to maintain democracy and order on election day.
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