“A car packed with around 50 kilogammes of explosives exploded in front of the house of Shafiq Mengal, the son of a former federal minister Naseer Mengal, on the Abab Karam Road,” Deputy Inspector General of Police Nazir Kurd told reporters.
However, police said the Mengal family remained safe.
The banned tribal militant group, Baloch Liberation Army, reportedly claimed responsibility for, what it called, the first suicide attack by the outfit.
The entire city of Quetta was rocked by the explosion which was heard within a radius of several kilometres. A house and several cars parked nearby were gutted in the fire triggered by the blast. Windowpanes of scores of houses and shops on Arbab Karam Khan Road, Saryab Road and surrounding neighbourhoods were smashed by the impact of the blast.
Police said the majority of the dead were passers-by, making it even harder to piece together what happened.
“We are facing difficulties to know about the nature of the blast because many of the witnesses who were present at the scene have been killed,” said Kurd.
Soon after the blast, private guards hired by Shafiq Mengal opened fire and gunshots rang out at the scene for up to half an hour, according to AFP.
A photo journalist for a local news agency was wounded by the firing in the chaotic aftermath of the blast.
Until late in the night rescuers sifted through the rubbles in a desperate search for survivors and bodies of victims.
Heavy contingents of police and paramilitary Frontier Corps troops threw a security cordon around the area as rescuers shifted the casualties to the Provincial Sandeman Hospital where a state of emergency was declared.
“We have shifted 13 bodies, including a woman and two children, to hospitals,” Babul, a rescuer, told The Express Tribune.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 31st, 2011.
COMMENTS (41)
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it is always easier said then done. Dnt need to be so emotional. Jst b humanbeing f ur, nd thnk nd say normaly nd positive...@Adnan Gujjar: @Sajida:
180 million of us Pakistanis are willing to go to Balochistan to fight BLA terrorists. There is no way we will let another part of Pakistan break away, we would rather nuke all of Balochistan before it breaks away from Pakistan.
@Mard-e-Haq: It's a well known fact that India is using their puppet state of Afghanistan as a base to commit terror and crime in Pakistan. You forget that killing innocent Pakistanis is nothing new for these agents. After all India has been terrorizing occupied Kashmir for over 50 years.
BLA is well known terrorist organization supported by indians and other enemies of Pakistan. Their head i believe resides in Britain.
just zip it if you think its a conspiracy.
BLA is terrorist organization and full force should be used against these goons. Get rid of them.
@Abdul Maalik:
You over looked the fact that the main reason this did not happen was because of the US.
I am sure today the US considers not allowing this attack to be one of its major policy mistakes
@ Raj-USA: I wonder if you can understand Pakistan's hatred towards America then you should automatically set into the hard core fact that America and Israel are not separated from eachother. Today , Isreal is earning more from America-like supporters, including Saudi Arabia that is a Dog being fetched by Isreal and America. These Three countries makes a triangle of Association. If Today all muslim countries are in danger , just because of these Evil , War-Mongers who want to suck up the remaining blood of Muslim Countries. There are many other keep-wars aside proofs for America, Isreal and Saudi to be best Friends.
@Raj-USA I give you the example.Israel and india joined hands with each other in 1984 to destroy the Nuclear program of Pakistan, in the same way as Israel did with Iraq.Also, there have been billions of dollar deals between india and Israel.What this romance is all about?
@Editor. No analysis what were their motives of targeting shafiq mengal. What all is narrated in this news report was already broadcast on all the news channels. Nothing new, no insight the reporters could provide.
So BLA is killing its own people so that people in Punjab can notice its complaints. Is it just me or this whole thing is wrong
@dr atif:
To some extent I can understand Pakistan's hatred for India and USA and they blame for everything on India and USA. However, I totally fail to understand why Israel is also blamed. Can anyone give a single example as to how Israel has harmed Pakistan ? Has any Mossad agents been found in Pakistan or has Israel attacked Pakistan at any time ?
When will Pakistan get as angry at these wonderful Taliban, as they are at the US?
@Roflcopter:
It’s these actions of the security forces against Baluchis that has caused this reaction. Nothing has been learned form Bengladesh. Same old method of using extreme force to oppress own people causing them to react and yearn for freedom.
Good, blame it on BLA.
India. Agencies exporting weapons and training via Afghanistan Suicide bombing ? The Same bla which wants the right to bury girls alive
It is a conspiracy hatched by the establishment to defame the legitimate grievances and struggle for the demand of baloch's rights and justice..
Absolutely agree with Murd-e-Haq!
Outsiders need not do or organize anything when Pakistan itself is speeding down the path of destruction. Indian & US actually need a stable Pakistan to progress.
Stop the blame game. Pointing fingers at outsider does nothing to improve the situation. Please!!
Sincere condolences for the poor innocent children women & men who died.
This incident has nothing to do with Jihad. It is done by the Baloch nationalist outfit BLA. They demand due share in everything from the incompetent state.
There should be a military op against baloch terrorists just like against the ttp.
Looks like US aid money is now flowing in to balochistan.
Baluchistan is yearning for freedom. OPppressed baluchi brothers shouldcontinuethe freedom struggle.
Huuummmm, The timing of this attack, on the same day, the decision about memogate comes out, after one day of Dr. Baqi's brutal murder. huuuummmmm.
Pakistan has missed its train. It looks like another partition is on the way be it FATA or Balochistan.
So these Baloch liberation groups kill scores of innocents to achieve their goals? Now I get why we should murder these animals before they get us!
Looks like another example of internecine Baloch culture. When I was young I was surprised by how due to tribal feuds members would be bumped off.
Such blasts will severely undermine Baloch struggle for rights and autonomy
"Fight hard if you can fight for your rights, otherwise don't let your Mothers weep for nothing." A statement from Atta Ullah Mengal to the insurgents in Balochistan. This Blast, is probably a sign of the worsening situation. Govt, if you really exist in country, please address the real issues of Balochistan. We Do not want another Bangladesh.
ISI needs to increase its operations in Balochistan to stop these BLA terrorists.
@Pakistani,
I generally I have little patience for Indian sarcasms posted here, but your conspiratorial reference to the US, India and "some other countries" as being behind these blasts defies the imagination. Are they the ones perpetrating karo kari? Are they the ones blowing up schools? Are they the ones turning our madrassas into militant incubators? What about the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai?
Balochistan is burning...waiting for a Messiah..
Tribune's Balochistan page is filled with Killing and Bombing news. May God show mercy on this part of the world.
....Please, Please stop this. Pakistan is dying. Where has is our humanity.
helll!!, i don't want sad and RIPs, all I want is do something and results.
A natural consequence of overblown jihad....
Save us Allah and Forgive Us for we have been cruel to ourselves.
Oh Allah! Have mercy on us.