A suicide bomb ripped through an outdoor market on Friday, killing at least 20 people, half of them ethnic Hazaras, officials said, in an attack apparently aimed at the Shia Muslims.
Some 48 people were wounded in the blast in the southwestern city of Quetta, capital of resource-rich Balochistan province, officials said.
The attack came after a lull of at least a year in violence against the Hazara minority in the province, though there have been isolated shootings.
The blast took place at Hazarganji, a fruit and vegetable market on the outskirts of Quetta.
Nine of the dead belong to the Hazara community, Quetta city police chief Abdul Razzaq Cheema said, adding that one paramilitary official from a squad deployed to guard the community at the market was also killed.
The 10 others who lost their lives included shopkeepers, businessmen and citizens working or residing in the area. Four FC soldiers were among the injured.
DIG Cheema, who was present at the site of the attack, said the blast targeted the Hazara ethnic community. He initially said that the explosive device was hidden between sacks of potatoes, but later, he and the provincial home minister told a news conference that a suicide bomber exploded his device among the people in the market.
“The bomber seemed to be disguised as one of the labourers when he exploded his device,” another police official, Bahram Mandokhel, said. “We have found his head and other body parts.”
No group immediately claimed responsibility.
DIG Cheema explained that people from the Hazara community come to the market daily in a convoy from Hazara Town to buy vegetables. “They are escorted by police and FC, and then they return. It was the same today,” he said. “There were 11 cars and 55 people. Police and FC were in front of them and behind them. They [the security] brought them to Hazarganji. When they entered the sabzi mandi, the police expanded their perimeter to the gates so that no one would enter, while the FC took their positions,” he continued. “Around 7:30am, they [the shoppers] were loading [produce] at a shop when the blast happened. The security forces are here, police are here. What more can we do? We secure them [the community] and travel back and forth with them. If something is hidden in a shop, then the shopkeepers will need to be probed,” he said.
He explained that the last time there had been an attack in the area, he had written to the administration and asked them to keep the area clean so that there were no hiding places for bombs. He also regretted that the Safe City project for Quetta had run into delays, and that there was a shortage of CCTV cameras in the area.
Friday’s bloodshed came two days after authorities freed Ramzan Mengal, a top leader of banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), Cheema said. Mengal had been detained for three months under maintenance of public order regulations, he said.
“Targeted for their religion by sectarian armed groups, (Hazaras) have suffered many such tragedies over several years. Each time there are promises that more will be done to protect them, and each time those promises have failed to materialize,” Omar Waraich, an official of rights group Amnesty International, said in a statement. “Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government has made important commitments to protect all religious groups. Those commitments must translate now into policies to effectively protect the Hazaras of Quetta, ending more than a decade of bloodshed.”
Qadir Nayil, a Hazara community leader, asked the government for provision of better protection. “Once again our people were the target and once again we will have to bury our dear ones,” he said. “We demand more security from the government and all those involved in the act of terrorism should be found and punished,” he added.
Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the blast and summoned a report on the incident. He expressed his grief at the loss of innocent lives, and directed the authorities to ensure the best medical treatment for the injured. “Deeply saddened & have strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Hazarganji market area of Quetta targeting our innocent people. I have asked for an immediate inquiry & increased security for the ppl. Prayers go to the families of the victims & for early recovery of the injured,” he tweeted.
President Dr Arif Alvi also condemned the blast and expressed sorrow over the loss of precious lives. In a statement, he termed it a “heinous act of terrorism which is a reminder for us as nation that few remnants of this menace are still left to be eliminated totally.”
Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari wrote on Twitter, “Condemn the terrorist attack in #Quetta. The government must stop dragging its feet & take action to counter violent extremism. Thoughts and prayers with the families of the victims.”