Begin typing your search...
20 killed in blast targeting Pakistan's Hazara community
A bomb blast ripped through a vegetable market in Pakistan's Quetta city early Friday, killing at least 20 people and injuring 48 others, media reports said.
By
migrator
migrator
Islamabad
The blast at around 7:35 am was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) that had been hidden among the vegetables in the market, police said.
At least eight of those killed in the bomb blast at Hazarganji area of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, belonged to the Hazara community. The security forces fear the death toll may rise, GEO News reported.
Buildings located nearby were also damaged in the blast, police said. Security forces have cordoned off the site of the blast.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema confirmed the toll and told Dawn News that eight victims belonged to the community, which has been targeted by sectarian violence as they are easily identifiable due to their distinctive physical appearance.
"The attack took place in a (greengrocer's) shop (in Hazarganji area). An improvised explosive device (IED) was planted in a gunny sack filled with potatoes. We are yet to ascertain if it was timed or remote-controlled. An investigation is on," Cheema said.
Cheema told Dawn that "people from the Hazara community come here daily in a convoy from Hazara town to buy vegetables. They are escorted by police and FC, and then they return there. It was the same today".
The victims also included a Frontier Corps soldier.
No one has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Following the blast, Qadir Nayil, a Hazara community leader, asked the Pakistan government to ensure better protection for them.
"Once again our people were the target... We demand more security from the government and all those involved in today's act of terrorism should be found and punished," he said.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal strongly condemned the attack and assured that the elements involved in the attack would be strictly dealt with.
"People who have an extremist mindset are a menace to society," Kamal said, adding: "We must foil the conspiracy to disrupt peace."
Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the blast in Hazarganji and sought a report on the incident.
Nearly half a million Hazaras have settled in Quetta since fleeing Afghanistan to escape violence in their homeland during the past four decades. The city's Hazarganji area has been witness to similar attacks in the past.
Hazara shopkeepers are known to stock vegetables and fruits from the Hazarganji bazaar to sell at their own shops. They are provided security escorts to and from Hazarganji since they are constantly under threat of attack.
Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan's largest and poorest province, rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies.
A report released by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) last year stated that 509 members of the Hazara community were killed and 627 injured in various incidents of terrorism in Quetta from January 2012 to December 2017.
According to the NCHR, targeted killings, suicide attacks, and bomb blasts have inflicted harm to daily life, education, and business activities of ethnic Hazara community members in Balochistan's largest city.
(With inputs from IANS)
Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!
Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!
Click here for iOS
Click here for Android
Next Story
