The affected bus. PHOTO: BANARAS KHAN/EXPRESS
The Capital City Police Officer Quetta (CCPO) Abdul Razzaq Cheema confirmed that 11 people were killed and 42 others wounded. “Most of the people on board a passenger bus have become the victims. Four vehicles were also destroyed in the blast,” he told The Express Tribune.
Jinnah Road is located in the heart of the city and there was dense traffic when the blast occurred. The dead and the injured were lying in a pool of blood when rescue workers and police reached the spot.
The blast was heard up to five kilometers from the scene of the blast. The window panes of several shops and buildings, including the Science College, were shattered due to the impact of the blast.
According to the Bomb Disposal Squad, more than five kilograms of explosive material was used in the blast.
“The floor shuddered with the impact of the blast and we ran amok. Near Science College, we saw people wailing and crying. They lying in a pool of blood,” said Mohammed Shahid, a passerby, adding that public and rescue workers shifted the bodies to Provincial Sandeman Hospital.
A state of emergency was imposed at the hospital. “We received ten dead and more than 25 injured,” hospital sources said.
A rickshaw, a bus and two cars were destroyed in the blast.
Police investigation
Police investigators said it is yet to be known whether the bomb was planted in the bus or fitted to a bicycle as the Bomb Disposal Squad is still collecting evidence.
Another official said it seemed the target could be an FC vehicle which had passed the spot a few minutes ago. However, the same official said that there was a congregation of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) in the Hockey Stadium which is situated half a kilometer from the spot.
The Quetta CCPO said all the victims were civilians and investigations are under way.
Jinnah Road is business hub of the provincial capital where offices, shopping centres, commercial establishments, restaurants and markets are located.
Ahrarul Hind claims responsibility
An increasingly active Taliban splinter group, Ahrarul Hind, claimed responsibility for the attack.
"We claim both Peshawar and Quetta attacks," their chief, Umar Qasmi, told Reuters. "We don't abide by these talks and will continue to stage attacks."
The Pakistani Taliban, who are separate from the Afghan Taliban, is a fragmented and deeply divided movement of dozens of small groups which do not always agree with each other.
The leadership of the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), which is keen on the talks, immediately distanced itself from the Friday attacks. "The TTP strongly condemns the Peshawar and Quetta blasts," said TTP spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid. "We have no connection to these attacks because we are observing a ceasefire."
COMMENTS (23)
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Terror manual need to be banned.
Finally , it is only through an international intervention will be required for the total overhowl of Pakistan .
@Awais:
Please don't leave out the sentence "of their own making" at the end of your statement. To this day Haqqani has close relations and sanctuary with Pakistan.
This problem will never solve, it will change shape and size.
@Chulbul Pandey: Totally agree with you. The statements from Indian trolls just shows how obsessed they are with Pakistan.
@Lunacyassailam: Pakistan is Sik to the core.It urgently needs Indian intervention to bring stability to the country.
You are joking, right? These issues are Pakistan's internal issues. You have to be very ignorant bringing India in this situation.
In era of advance science and technology, socio-economic and human civilization. The country Pakistan is totally in the dark ages not because of nation but the 65 years of exploitation and suppression in which the role or army, agencies, bureaucracy and corrupt political system is dominant. This is darkest and worst then stone and ice age of Pakistan.
Our military elites couldn't care less if KPK, Baluchistan or Sindh is burning so long as the Punjab is safe.
I see Indian trolls are on the roll here.
Do the rulers still have moral right to Rule ???. Can Nawaz sharif resign and give some one else a chance to stop loss of human lives.
I congratulate to whoever made the policy of "strategic assets" possible.
Well said major Iqbal And now we indians need to observe solidarity day for Pakistan as Pakistani observe for kasmir
@Awais:
There are divisions among terrorists alright. One branch of terrorists does it and the other one denies it. The result is the same as before.
Just shows how important it is to move forward with the Peace talks to create divisions in the terrorists groups to separate the ones who are willing to ceasefire ant talk and the ones who do not. Will help Army in the long run to divide and conquer these murderers. All the other naive emotional commentators just don''t want to understand the complexity and the gravity of the problem the government is facing.
God bless.