• Blast occurs as crowds wait for Peshawar-bound train
• Suicide attacker targets security personnel
• Gatherings banned, security at bus stations tightened
• Shehbaz, Bugti condemn attack, pledge justice for victims
• Proscribed BLA claims responsibility for bombing

QUETTA: At least 26 people, including 16 security personnel, lost their lives and 61 others were injured in a suicide bombing at a Quetta railway station on Saturday, police and other officials said.

The bomber detonated the explosive on the platform, where large crowds were awaiting the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express. Officials said the attacker arrived as a passenger carrying a bag, moved into the crowd and detonated the bomb, killing and injuring nearly 100 people.

Fifteen people died at the scene, with many more injured. Police, Frontier Corps personnel and rescue teams rushed to the site to shift the victims to the Civil Hospital, where an emergency had been declared.

Later, 11 critically inju­red victims succumbed to wounds in the Trauma Centre, Civil Hospital spokesperson Dr Wasim Baig told Dawn, adding that 61 people were injured. He warned that death toll could rise, as at least 10 victims were in critical condition.

Police officials sugge­sted that the bomber’s primary target was security personnel on the platform. “The target was army personnel from the Infantry School,” Balochistan Insp­e­ctor General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari said, according to Reuters.

Quetta Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat told media during his visit to the Tra­uma Centre that the blast was a “suicide attack” primarily on law enforcement agencies, while civilians were also targeted.

He said 16 soldiers were among the dead, adding that 19 of the injured had been transferred to Quetta’s Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

Mr Shafqaat added that gatherings have been banned in the area while bus stations were on high alert, adding that railways have been requested to close the station and suspend train services.

The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the blast, stating that its Majeed Brigade had carried out the attack.

Blood and backpacks

The explosion, which occurred around 8:30am, was so powerful that it rocked parts of the provincial capital. “The blast occurred on Platform No. 1, damaging the shelter and overhead crossing bridge,” a senior Railway official said, adding that both the Jaffar Express and Chaman Express were briefly halted but later resumed service.

The APP cited railway officials as saying the blast happened near the ticket booth when two trains were scheduled to depart.

Quetta SSP Operations Muhammad Baloch said that around 150 to 200 people were present at the platform when the explosion occurred. He said body parts of the suspected bomber were recovered from the site and sent for DNA testing.

An AFP journalist saw pools of blood and ripped backpacks at the scene, where a large metal sheet protecting passengers from the elements had been blown off.

Mohammed Oumer, one of the casualties, said he went to the station to get a train home to his village. “But just as we arrived, there was the explosion and I found myself wounded and in hospital,” he told the news agency.

The bomb disposal squad later reached the site soon and secured the area. An official of the Counter-Terrorism Depart­ment said the attacker had used around 8kg of explosives, packed in a bag.

PM, CM condemn attack

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the blast, expressing condolences for the deceased and praying for the swift recovery of the injured.

He sought an investigation report on the incident from the Balochistan government.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti — who was abroad but cut short his trip and returned to Quetta in the afternoon — condemned the attack as a “continuation of targeting innocent people.”

“The terrorists now target innocent people, labourers, children and women. Those who target innocent people do not deserve mercy,” Mr Bugti said in a statement. He ordered a thorough investigation and assured that those responsible would be brought to justice.

“Terrorists are unworthy of being called humans. They have fallen from humanity,” he said and pledged that the government would continue its operations against terrorists and eradicate terrorism from Balochistan.

Later, CM Bugti and Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited the Trauma Centre at Civil Hospital on Saturday night and met with the injured. They assured victims’ families that the Balochistan government stood by them and would bring the perpetrators to justice.

Mr Naqvi condemned the suicide attack and expressed sorrow over the innocent lives lost. He said that it was his tenth visit to Balochistan in the last five to seven months and pledged that the government and security forces would continue to fight terrorism.

He questioned the silence of human rights advocates, calling for accountability for those inciting young Baloch individuals towards violence.

Balochistan Health Min­­­­ister Bakht Mohammad Kakar, Trauma Centre Director Arbab Kamran Kasi and Medical Superintendent of Civil Hospital Dr Noorullah Musakhail were also present during the visit.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2024