QUETTA: All 30 victims of a deadly suicide bombing in Quetta’s Hazara town were laid to rest on Monday amid tight security from police and paramilitary troops.
A large number of people were present at the burial under security cover by the provincial administration. Security was also tightened in and around Hazara Town to prevent the occurrence of another untoward incident. Frontier Corps (FC) and police personnel were deployed at all exit and entry points leading to Hazara town.
However, the absence of a senior government functionary was felt at the burial.
A day of mourning was being observed in Quetta in the wake of the blast on the call of the Hazara Democratic Party, Shia Council and the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP). All government offices were shut in the provincial capital to mourn the tragedy, and the main markets in the city also remained closed.
The deadly suicide blast ripped through the Aliabad area of Hazara town on Sunday night, claiming 30 lives and leaving around 70 wounded.
“A suicide bomber blew himself up near a barrier close to Ali Ibn-Abu-Talib Imambargah,” DIG (Investigation) Syed Mobin Ahmed had told Dawn.
The explosion killed 28 people and wounded 70 people belonging to the ethnic Shia Hazara minority on Sunday. Two of the wounded later succumbed to their injuries at the military-run Combined Military Hospital on Monday morning, raising the death toll to 30.
Senior government official Shehzada Farhat told Dawn.com that some of the injured persons were still serious in serious condition. The wounded were being treated at the CMH.
Sources said that an unidentified man on a bicycle tried to enter the area and when people standing near the barrier tried to stop him he blew himself up.
The proscribed Lashkar-i-Jhangvi has claimed responsibility of the attack.
No intelligence failure: CM
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Balochistan Abdul Malik Baloch strongly condemned the incident and termed it an attempt on the part of terrorists to undermine his newly-elected government’s efforts for restoration of peace in Quetta.
“I have called police and the officials of secret services to brief me about the overall law and order situation in Balochistan,” said the chief minister speaking to Dawn.com. “No compromise would be made on the peace of the province.”
When asked if intelligence agencies had failed at prevent the deadly bombing, he said: “It was not the failure of the intelligence agencies. Intelligence agencies and police are investigating the incident for further details.”
Meanwhile, police have traced the head and some body parts of a suicide bomber behind a deadly blast.
Fayyaz Sumbal, the Deputy Inspector General Police, told Dawn.com on Monday that the head and body parts of the suicide-bomber would soon be sent for forensic tests. He said investigators had also approached Nadra for identification of the suicide bomber.
A six-member police team has been formed to probe the deadly bombing. The Superintendent of the Police Investigation, Muhammad Tariq, was designated to lead the team. A case against the unknown militants was also registered at the Browery Police Station.
Meanwhile, investigators from the secret services investigated the site of the incident and checked the wreckage of the blast for clues.
DIG Sumbal, however, told Dawn.com on Monday that no suspect had yet been detained by police after Sunday night’s deadly bombing.
