Security personnel cordon off the site of a car bomb attack on Shia pilgrims buses in Mastung on December 30, 2012. PHOTO: AFP
The remotely-triggered bomb hit a convoy of three buses in Mastung district and set one of them ablaze, said Tufail Baluch, a senior government official in the district.
"At least 19 people have been killed and 25 injured. All of them were Shia pilgrims," he told AFP, adding most of those killed were burnt to death.
"The bomb was planted in a car. The condition of some of the injured is critical," Baluch said.
Some 180 Shia pilgrims were on their way to Iran in the buses when the bomb ripped through one of them, said Akbar Hussain Durrani, a senior government official in Quetta.
One bus carrying some 45 pilgrims was badly damaged, he said.
Mastung is some 30km south of Quetta.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
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what ever is going on with Shiyaz is just totally unfair...my great condolences with those people who had lost their dear ones..
@amir: Its not your fault! You won't understand what freedom is untill you have it. No body can explain you as its not a theoratical concept. Besides you seem content being a less previldged minority in a third world country.
THIS IS A CONSPIRACY TO DISMEMBER AND DE NUCLEARIZE PAKISTAN BY RAW/CIA/MOSSAD!!
As an Indian I don't want to offend Pakistanis on this sad day but frankly India is much safer for Shias (and of course Ahmadiyyas) than Pakistan is... And India gives full religious freedom to everyone... Shia, Sunni, Ahmadiyyas... to preach and practice... Iran doesn't... Saudi doesn't... Pakistan doesn't... I've never thought of it like this before but thank you to my great-grandparents for making the right choice for their descendants in 1947 and not being deluded by the folly of a "Country for Muslims"... which begs the questions immediately: "For Which Muslims?" and "Who is a Muslim?"... these are questions that we never face in India... actually, Muslims in India and Bangladesh are more tolerant of different sects than Pakistan... the problem is at the root of the country... I don't think Rehmat Ali or Allama or Qaid-e-Azam ever considered the full practical implications of their ideology... the whole thing was done in a frenzy from 1940 to 1947... We've lost touch with our relatives in Karachi for about 15 years but hopefully they're all safe... It's sad how families got split... I really don't understand the migration even now... there was no violence in Lucknow in 1947... I don't understand why they left, unlike Punjabi Hindus, Sikhs or Muslims who did face violence... Can any Muhajir help me understand the ideology of migrants who faced no violence...
Hmmm..
So this is what pakistan has come to? Taliban killing muslims indiscriminately, LeJ and such killings shias..and then there are ethnic 'warriors' killing innocent muslims who dont happen to share their language or culture...
and the government just keeps lining its pockets...well..such corruption is the hallmark of every 3rd world nation but pakistan is today on the edge..and it cannot carrry such things like theres no tomorrow (else there might be none for pakistan in the coming decades)
Today Sunni cleric was also killed in Karachi and those 21 policemen killed by these militants were sunnis too so why this fuss about shia thing all the time ? can't you see people from any background are being killed by these scumbags ?
The sufi with the conspiracy theory is not me. Just stole my nick. Still a strong believer of separation of state and religion.
oh god gave them hidaya.TO run a better path not killing inocent people
As a Sunni I call upon Shias to unite and fight your own battle as you cannot get any security from the government or army. Peace.
Same is the group targeting Sunnis.To bad security forces couldn't nab them!
@Syed: There is a thing called law and order which government is avoiding since day one. If a citizen take up arms it is challenging the writ of state and if criminal take up weapons it is a sect/social issue.
Don't expect much from Government which has skeletons in closet that will shame highway robbers.
And this country was created so that muslims (not sunnis of shias) could have a homeland of their own where they could practice their religion freely. The biggest lie ever told.
@Hamid Hassan Khan:
Shame on you. Only when you start treating all human beings (irrespective of tribe, religion, color, sexual orientation, etc.) as humans you may have crossed this sickening religious tribal attitude. Just by writing "even Jews and other minorities" put you in the same category as these killers. Happy New Year.
Leave Pakistan for the safety of yourself and your family.
secterian violence has made Pakistan a sign of interrogation in regard to its future stability who is responsible for that foreign powers? wrong aabsolutely wrong, religious and political leaders who love with treasurs not with people's problems All are taking about share power not about falling down economy
Government has failed providing safety regarding life and property must be resigned .
Black and brown smoke rising from the destroyed vehicle screaming '' what you doing Islam teach you not such lesson there is no permission of such act you are committing are you muslim ??????????????????? true muslim is he who provide safety to others by his words and hands.
They are playing with blood of each others they are playing in the hands of those who are playing with their country's security and integrity. but they don't know. They are moving to toward a long dark tunnel and there is no light at the end of it.
Bluchistan i is home to militant groups including pro Taliban factions and bluch sepratists fighting low level insurgency in hopes of gaining political atumonomy and a greater share of the profits from the region's natural sources.
But the way,they have adopted is not favourable for the people and the country. enemies inside and across the the borders continuesouly working against the security of the state.Secterian violence has been ignited by the conspirators Instead we are killing each other should stand against the elements who want to put us at the place called total failure
It is dire need of the time to become a strongest unity icone
This is not relegious fanaticsm. This is not feud betweens sect or religion. This is pure anarchy and proxy war creating situation for civil war. This is not taliban stuff this is just propaganda. This is genuine foriegn sponsored proxy war to destabilize Pakistan. I don't care really care what other's would say but finding tattoo of green berrets sign at the back and targetting like this is same scenario. We can only do one thing stand united that's all and face it. We must not forget the what we did in kashmir this is time to pay back. But this time not one state but the whole country. I dont want to go deeper on it.
Now a sunni scholar has been gun down in Karachi this sunni and shia killing will continue untill there is no ustice in the country.
So called ally,partner,friend is at best now after defense secretary clear worded double gaming of USA/UK/KSA.Now those who say TTP is not American,Shia killing in Pakistan and all explosions are well sponsored by CIA, only OUR intelligence has to find out sleeves snakes.
So sad, but is that important to mention these Shahids as Shia or sunni? our media is equal responsible to set the negative mental level of our nation.Any way this world would be a better place without religion...
Dont know ET refrains from publishing the comment - will say once more - why shias dont ask UN to protect them as state doesnot have any interest and this is no where on their priority list. Where is our honour when my hazara sister was begging for mercy at indonesian coast guard camp as she ran away from the land of the pure in order to save her life........go and ask UN, file a mercy appeal at ICJ, knock at the door of global rights group, ask mighty US......from a sunni!
shia killling page has 88,000 members in a year while shahzeb memorial page got 50,000 likes in few days...ye hay hamari qom!
Will ELECTIONS change this and stop this mess in Pakistan??? or all the other messes besides terrorism... will elections bring peace, terminate bad governance and corruption? improve economy, eradicate illiteracy and unemployment?
It is not about shia or sunny. These are not done by Pakistan. It is by the external sources, who want Pakistan to be broken. They are playing a very tactful strategy since so many years creating their roots to establish their base. We say that Pakistan got free from the English rule in 1947, that is untruth. They never left us. They are still in between us with their same cause to destroy muslims whether shia or suni. The bad part is that over government is least concerned about it as their accounts are full and their stomach are filled with the best food available. 5000 Billion corruption, only 10% would be enough to re establish a new Pakistan. It will continue according to their strategy. The day is not far, we will be again under English rule again.
Do they not know that Shia's have the same blood as they do. Don't they see that Shia's breath in the same way they do. Don't their brains recognize them as human beings. Shame on humanity and shame on such people and the government, the army, the judiciary and most importantly people of Pakistan who keep their mouths shut as things like these happens again and again. Shame on Us. It's is not only the terrorists fault but our fault because we are letting them do this to the Shia community. First it was the Ahmedis, then the Hindus and now Shias and tomorrow they will choose someone else. Either speak and act now or tomorrow it might be your turn.
First they came for the Ahmadi Muslims but no one stood up, then they came for the Christians and the Hindus yet still there was a deafening silence, now they are gagging up the Shia Muslims and still you don't care, Tomorrow they'll come for YOU and there would be no one left to save your butt..
Religious fanaticism has to end, the state started interfering in peoples' religion in 1974 and you reap what you sow, Why didn't anyone stand up then? Atleast stand up NOW!! Stop supporting the mullahs and the taliban.
State and religion should be separate period i.e because we are barbarians!
A fishy CM Bolochistan can handle it with joke too:(
In public they will say again that its foreign agents.
In private they will acknowledge the feat of their mujahids!
Should we live or die? Or better still just leave Pakistan? This is what these "elements" want? We have died before.. we will die now.. we will NOT leave!
Shia blood thirsty people will not rest. Same terrorists killed 21 security personnel that must be all sunnis. why won't shias and sunnis unite to fight this menace?