QUETTA: The Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) has given the government a 48-hour deadline to arrest those responsible for Saturday's suicide blast in Quetta, DawnNews reported.

HDP leader Azizullah Hazara, accompanied by members of his community, warned that if those behind Saturday's blasts in Quetta were not arrested then protests would be held daily outside the Balochistan High Court.

He further said that a targeted operation could be conducted to eliminate those targeting the Hazara community.

A suicide-bomb on Saturday targeting Shia Hazaras in a busy market in Pakistan’s restive southwest killed 79 people including women and children and wounded 180 others.

A spokesman for the banned militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) claimed responsibility for the bombing, according to media reports.

A similar attack had left at least 93 people dead and 121 other wounded on January 10 when two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a crowded snooker club in an area of Quetta city dominated by the Shia community.

Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf late last month sacked the provincial government in Balochistan after meeting Shia Muslim protesters demanding protection.