Pakistan hospital bomb attack kills dozens in Quetta
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| AFP. Lawyers and journalists were among those injured and killed |
About
120 others were injured in the blast, which happened at the entrance to the
emergency department where the body of a prominent lawyer shot dead earlier on
Monday was being brought.
The
casualties included lawyers and journalists accompanying the body of Bilal
Anwar Kasi.
Gunfire
followed the explosion. It was not clear who the attackers were.
Mr
Kasi, who was president of the Balochistan Bar Association, had been shot by
two unknown assailants while on his way from his home to the main court complex
in Quetta.
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| AFP: The attack took place at the entrance to the hospital's emergency department |
Pakistani Prime
Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his "deep grief and anguish", adding:
"No-one will be allowed to disturb the peace of the province. The people,
policy and security forces in Balochistan have given sacrifices for the
country."
The president of
Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association, Syed Ali Zafa, denounced the assault
as "an attack on justice".
The Chief Minister of
Balochistan, Sanaullah Zehri, said those injured should be given the best
medical treatment and facilities available.
Who was behind the
attack? Investigators may have a difficult task ahead - there is a confusing
cocktail of militant groups in Pakistan that use the country as a sanctuary,
despite official claims to the contrary.
Balochistan province,
of which Quetta is the capital, has been the scene of a violent separatist
insurgency for years.
But many believe
Monday's attack, that appeared to target lawyers, carries the signature of
militant groups with a wider agenda, such as the TTP (Pakistani Taliban) or
other anti-government militants.
Local experts believe
the attackers may have targeted the lawyers because they were less well-guarded
than security or police officers - and because an attack on lawyers, who
represent a vocal section of society, is likely to attract high publicity.
Some regional
officials have blamed India for being a possible instigator - as they have in
previous attacks. But India has always denied such claims.
The bloody attack in
Quetta is yet another reminder that despite recent military claims to the
contrary, militants in Pakistan are far from being defeated.
The last attack with a
high casualty figure in Quetta, and one which followed the same tactics, took
place exactly three years ago, on 8 August 2013, when gunmen shot dead a police
official, and hours later a suicide bomber detonated a device at his funeral
prayers, killing about 30 people, many of them senior police officials. That
attack was claimed by the TTP.
There have been a
number of targeted killings in Quetta and the victims in recent weeks have
included several lawyers.
Mr Kasi had strongly
condemned the attacks and local media said he had announced a two-day boycott
of court sessions in protest at the killing of a colleague last week.
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| AP: 18 lawyer among those killed |
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| AP: These lawyers received medical treatment in the back of a vehicle after the blast |
Those killed in the
hospital attack were said to include Baz Muhammad Kakar, a predecessor of Mr
Kasi as provincial bar president, and 17 other lawyers.
Two journalists have also been identified among the dead - Shahzad Khan, a cameraman for Aaj TV, and Mehmood Khan, a cameraman for DawnNews.
Pakistani lawyers in
Lahore staged a demonstration to condemn the attack. Some journalists also
protested, demanding protection for freedom of expression.
Facebook has activated
its safety check feature for Quetta, allowing users to mark themselves or
others as being safe.
Source: BBC News
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