Three injured in attack on Quetta poll meeting
QUETTA, April 28: Attacks on election candidates continued in Balochistan as a bomb blast hit a street corner meeting in Quetta on Sunday leaving three people injured.
The house of a leader of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl in Panjgur was attacked with a hand-grenade. In another incident, the motorcade of the chairman of Jamoot Qaumi Movement came under rocket attack in Nasirabad district.
Police sources said that Shams Mengal, a candidate of the Muttahida Mahaz Balochistan (MMB), is contesting for a Balochistan Assembly seat. He was holding a meeting on Sariab road and the blast took place when his supporters were leaving after the meeting. Three people, among them an eight-year-old boy, were seriously injured. They were taken to civil hospital.
“The bomb was placed on a bicycle parked near the venue of the meeting,” senior police officer Bashir Brohi said, adding that the bomb contained around 4 kilograms of explosives.
Later, MMB supporters held a protest in the area and shouted slogans against the government. They demanded adequate security for MMB candidates.
In Gurmakan area of Panjgur, some people hurled a hand-grenade into the house of Hafiz Mohammad Azam on Saturday night. He is running for National Assembly’s NA-271 seat. The house was partly damaged.
Sources said Hafiz Azam was not in the house at the time of the attack.
Abdul Majid Abro, chairman of the Jamoot Qaumi Movement (JQM), escaped unhurt in a rocket attack in Chattar area of Nasirabad district on Sunday night.
Mr Abro, running for NA-266 and PB-28, was going to Dera Murad Jamali after visiting Tahir Kot area in connection with his election campaign. When his motorcade was near Chattar area three rockets were fired on it. “Three vehicles were damaged in the attack,” police officials said.