Survivors recall horrors of Mastung bombing

“It was like doomsday for the entire family”, remarked Ayaz Ahmed after returning from the funeral of his cousin, his two sons, and a nephew in the Mastung district of Balochistan, which was rocked by Friday’s bombing at an Eid Miladun Nabi gathering that left over 50 people dead.

Several of his family members were attending the birthday celebration of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon him) when the massive blast shook him even at his home on Friday afternoon, Ayaz told Anadolu by phone on Saturday.

He said he rushed to the site near a mosque and saw flashes all around. Some people were mute, apparently dead, and the majority screaming for help with injuries and some helping them rush to hospitals, he said, adding that he was trying to find his loved ones.

After failing to locate them, he went to the hospital and returned when he saw them among the injured being transported to the district headquarters hospital, he said. “I lost my senses when I saw bodies of my cousin lying there, along with his two sons and my other nephew,” he added.

“I will never forget those painful scenes because many people lost loved ones like us,” he said, questioning how long they would sacrifice and for what.

Indeed, there is no answer to the question, as Pakistan has been dealing with a wave of terrorist attacks since joining the US in the fight against terrorism following the ouster of the first Afghan Taliban regime in Afghanistan in 2001.

Read Mastung blast toll hits 60 as suspicion falls on RAW

Over 80,000 innocent civilians, as well as security forces and police personnel, have been killed in terrorism, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, with no end in sight.

According to police, at least 51 people were killed, including a local police officer, and nearly 139 others were injured in the blast.

“Some of the critically injured lost breath overnight,” a senior district police official said over the phone on Saturday, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Nawaz Gashkori was the apparent target of the attack, the official said, without explaining why.

According to media reports, the Counter Terrorism Department has filed a murder and terrorism case against an unidentified attacker.

Earlier on Friday, provincial Caretaker Information Minister Jan Achakzai said that the incident was most likely a suicide attack.

It was a gloomy Friday as terrorists also struck the Hangu district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, with one foiled by police and another claiming five lives and injuring several people who were attending Friday prayers.

“There were two blasts... police hit the first suicide bomber outside the mosque gate, while the second managed to enter and blew himself up”, Deputy Commissioner Fazal Akbar told media following the incident.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 1^st, 2023.