MASTUNG: At least seven including five schoolchildren were killed, while over 30 others were injured in a blast in Balochistan’s Mastung on Friday morning.
The deceased included five schoolchildren, one policeman, and two passerby, while, 30 others have sustained injuries including the majority of school-going children, DHQ Medical Superintendent Nisar Ahmad Baloch said.
Mastung District Police Officer (DPO) Miandad Umrani said the martyred children, which include girls and boys, were aged between five and 10 years. Initially, there were five casualties, later, two more injured succumbed to their wounds during treatment at the hospital.
The blast occurred at around 8:35 am and targeted a police van near Civil Hospital and girls’ school in Mastung, police said. The IED (improvised explosive device) was fixed in a motorcycle and was detonated via remote control, Mastung DPO said.
The explosion damaged a police mobile and several other vehicles including auto-rickshaws.
Balochistan government spokesperson said the injured were being treated at Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Memorial Hospital and Mastung District Headquarters Hospital, where the emergency was declared soon after the blast.
Eleven people injured in the blast, among which the condition of five is critical, have been shifted to the Quetta Trauma Centre (QTC). Those shifted to Quetta included a five-year-old girl and a teenage boy, according to a list of patients issued by QTC.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the blast expressing grief over the loss of lives. He extended condolences to the relatives of the martyred policeman and schoolchildren.
In a statement, shared by the Chief Minister Office’s, Bugti said terrorists have now targeted “innocent children along with labourers”, resolving to avenge the blood of innocent citizens including children.
The chief minister said terrorists had targeted children deeming them to be a soft target. He added that locals among the civilian population also have to keep an eye on the terrorists. “The monster of terrorism can only be fought together.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his statement, expressed the determination to continue the war till the complete elimination of the scourge of terrorism from the country.
He said the attack on a “school exposes terrorists’ animosity towards education in Balochistan”. Shehbaz Sharif said such cowardly acts of terrorists cannot undermine the nation’s morale.
The premier directed the authorities concerned to apprehend the perpetrators of the blast and award them exemplary punishment. He also directed concerned authorities to provide the best medical treatment facilities to the injured.
Acting President Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani also strongly condemned a bomb blast in Mastung, which resulted in the martyrdom of five children and police personnel.
The Acting President, in his statement, reiterated the resolve to root out terrorism from the country. He said terrorists are the enemies of humanity and the entire nation stands united to support the security forces and law enforcement agencies to eliminate terrorism.
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