QUETTA: At least 10 people were killed in a loud explosion inside the Civil Hospital here on Monday, Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti confirmed. Over 30 people have been injured in the blast.
“The blast occurred after a number of lawyers and some journalists had gathered at the hospital following the death of the president of the Balochistan Bar Association in a separate shooting incident early this morning,” said Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Harifal.
What we know so far
- Loud blast heard in Quetta’s Civil Hospital
- At least 10 people killed, over 30 injured
- Blast followed killing of senior lawyer in Quetta
- Most of the injured are lawyers
The explosion took place soon after lawyers arrived at the Civil Hospital when the body of their colleague Advocate Bilal Anwar Kasi was brought in.
Several lawyers including the former president of Balochistan Bar Association Baaz Mohammad Kakar were reported injured in the explosion and aerial firing could still be heard at the premises.
TV reports said people were attempting to exit the hospital in a state of chaos.
Journalists present at the premises also came in the line of fire and the cameraman for NNP was severely injured in the explosion. Shahzad Khan, a cameraman associated with Aaj TV, was reportedly killed in the blast.
Police surrounded the hospital and cordoned off the area after the blast.
An emergency has been declared in hospitals across Quetta and several injured are being shifted to these for treatment.
“This was a security lapse and i am having this personally investigated,” Bugti told NNP.
He said it was too early to determine the nature of the blast, adding that the hospital had not received any threats in the past.
Lawyers targeted
Lawyers have been targeted several times in the past several months in Balochistan.
A lawyer, Jahanzeb Alvi, was shot dead by unknown armed men in the Brewery road area last week on Aug 3.
Advocate Bilal Kasi, who himself was shot dead today, had strongly condemned the murder of Advocate Alvi and announced two days’ boycott of courts proceedings.
The principal of University of Balochistan’s law college, Barrister Amanullah Achakzai, was also shot dead by unknown assailants on Spini Road here in June.
Balochistan has been experiencing incident violence and targeted killings since more than a decade. More than 1,400 incidents targeting the minority Shia and Hazara community have taken place in the province during the past 15 years.
The largest province of the country by area, is home to a low-level insurgency by ethnic Baloch separatists. Al Qaeda-linked and sectarian militants also operate in the region.
The province shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources such as qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
