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07-02-2024
By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies
QUETTA/ PASHIN/ QILLA SAIFULLAH: Two bombs in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan have killed at least 28 people, officials said, with dozens more injured.
The twin blasts on Wednesday came a day before elections. The attacks targeted the election offices of political parties in the restive region.
The first attack, which killed 16 people, took place at the office of independent election candidate Asfandyar Khan Kakar in Pishin district near the border with Afghanistan, said Jan Achakzai, Balochistan’s caretaker information minister.
More than 20 people were reported wounded in the blast, and police said some were in critical condition.
The second explosion in Qilla Saifullah detonated near an office of Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI), a religious party that has previously been the target of attacks.
At least 12 people were killed in that attack, Achakzai said. At least eight more were injured.
The blast in Pishin was the result of an improvised explosive device attached to a motorcycle, he added.
In response to the dual attacks, the foreign office said in a statement that its western border crossings with Iran and Afghanistan would close until Friday to ensure security during the election.
No group has yet claimed responsibility as attacks have risen in recent months as Pakistan prepares to go to the polls on Thursday.
The bombings have raised worries over security during the vote, and authorities said they will boost security at polling booths.
Achakzai, the provincial government spokesperson, announced a three-day mourning period but emphasized that “the elections will take place on Thursday as per the schedule, and we urge people to exercise their right to vote to defeat those who wanted a delay in the elections”.
Tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces have already been deployed across Pakistan in a bid to avert attacks after the recent surge in violence. Balochistan has been particularly blighted.
The separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has stepped up attacks in recent months. Last week, at least 15 people were killed when the BLA targeted military and security installations in the city of Mach, 65km (40 miles) south of Balochistan’s capital, Quetta.
The restive region, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is strategically important because of its rich copper, zinc and natural gas reserves. Cities in the province are a constant target of armed groups. Baloch nationalists initially wanted a larger share of the province’s resources but later initiated a movement for independence.
Fearing violence during Thursday’s elections, Achakzai had announced on Sunday night that internet service will be temporarily restricted on Election Day.
Pakistani forces are also facing growing security threats in the remote northwestern region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TPJ) has also increased its violent activity.
The group has claimed responsibility for an attack on Monday in which at least 10 police officers were killed.
In December, a TPJ suicide bomber in Tehsil Daraban killed at least 23 soldiers and wounded 32.
Last month, at least 101 people were killed when a suicide bomber targeted a mosque in the regional capital, Peshawar.
