At least 65 people have been killed in suicide attacks that took place in Pakistan’s Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, according to authorities. Counter-terrorism officials have registered a first information report regarding the blast in Balochistan. The incident in Balochistan occurred during a procession to celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s birthday near the Madina Masjid in Mastung, resulting in 60 deaths and over 60 injuries. In the second attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu, a police station mosque was targeted, resulting in five deaths and 12 people injured. The casualties were caused by the collapse of the mosque’s roof due to the explosion’s impact.
The spokesperson for Quetta’s Civil Hospital, Wasim Baig, confirmed that the death toll from the blast in Mastung has now risen to 60. He further mentioned that 25 of the injured individuals have been discharged. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far, although the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) denied any involvement. The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has initiated an investigation into the incidents but no arrests have been made.
In recent months, there has been an increase in terrorist activities in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government last year. The caretaker government of Balochistan has declared three days of mourning following the attack. Earlier this month, a blast in the same district left 11 people injured, including a leader of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F). Prior to that, an unidentified gunmen killed a security official at a bus stand. In May, a polio vaccination team in the Killi Sour Karez area near Mastung was targeted, resulting in the death of a policeman.
The investigation into the recent attacks is ongoing, and authorities are focused on determining the motives and identifying those responsible. Meanwhile, Pakistan continues to face significant security challenges as it grapples with these acts of terrorism.
