QUETTA (AFP) - A suicide bombing ripped through a political rally in Pakistan’s restive southwestern province of Balochistan on Tuesday night, killing at least 15 people and injuring 32, a senior administration official said on Wednesday, in one of the deadliest attacks in recent months.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, but Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest yet most impoverished province, has been grappling for decades with a separatist insurgency that has escalated in recent years. Militants frequently target security forces, officials and non-local residents they accuse of exploiting the province’s resources. The province is also of strategic importance for Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, with China investing heavily in ports, roads and energy projects.
Police said the blast was caused by a suicide bomber who detonated about 10 kilograms of explosives as supporters and senior leaders of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) left a stadium after a rally to mark the fourth death anniversary of party founder Attaullah Mengal.
“The suicide attack occurred at 9:40 p.m. outside the Shahwani Stadium when people were coming out,” Hamza Shafqaat, Additional Chief Secretary Home, said during a news conference wherein he confirmed the latest toll.
“A total of 112 policemen were deployed to protect the venue of Balochistan National Party Mengal’s rally,” he continued. “The body of the suicide bomber was recovered from the crime scene. His age was less than 30, but his ethnicity is yet to be confirmed as investigations continue.”
Shafqaat added the provincial government had already imposed Section 144 in the province following the high-level threat alert until September 15.
“Despite the threat alert, the government allowed BNP-Mengal to hold a public rally and issued a no-objection certificate with 17 to 18 clauses, including maintaining time restrictions,” he continued.
Shafqaat said law enforcement agencies had shared 22 threat alerts with the Balochistan administration related to processions marking the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which will be observed on Saturday.
BNP-M, an ethnic Baloch nationalist party that campaigns for greater provincial autonomy and control over natural resources, is headed by former parliamentarian Sardar Akhtar Mengal and remains a key political force in Balochistan’s majority-Baloch districts.