Pakistan: 3 Islamist political party leaders killed in bomb blast in Balochistan
May 22, 2021
Islamabad [Pakistan], May 22 : Three leaders of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (Nazaryati) among seven people who were killed in a bomb attack in Balochistan's Chaman city on Friday, reported the Dawn.
Senior local police official Ahmad Mohiuddin said explosives were packed into a motorbike parked near the vehicle of a religious leader taking part in the rally, reported Geo News.
As per Dawn, JUI-N's naib emir Maulana Abdul Qadir Luni, who, according to officials was the target of the attackers, suffered injuries in the bombing.
Officials said the blast occurred at Boghara Chowk soon after a rally, staged by the JUI-N to condemn Israeli aggression and genocide of the oppressed Palestinians in Gaza, had concluded.
According to them, unidentified people had rigged the motorbike with explosive material and parked it near the venue of the rally and detonated it when Maulana Luni, accompanied by supporters, was leaving the place.
"It seems the target of the blast was Maulana Luni as the IED planted in the motorcycle was detonated with remote control soon after he left the rally venue," a senior police official said, as per Dawn's report.
The bomb attack took place hours after Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, welcomed a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas- militant group that rules Gaza. Pakistan wants a peaceful resolution of the Palestine issue.
The brutal fighting between the two countries killed at least 243 Palestinians, including 66 children. On the other hand, 12 people were killed in Israeli, including two children and an Indian national, Al Jazeera reports.
Demonstrators in Chaman could be seen waving signs that said "Free Palestine", while a major road connecting the capital Islamabad to the neighbouring city Rawalpindi was blocked, reported Geo News.
On April 22, three people were killed and 13 others got injured in an explosion in the parking lot of a hotel, which was hosting the Chinese ambassador, in Balochistan's capital Quetta.
