ISLAMABAD: Balochistan observed a nationwide “shutter down” strike in protest of the Mastung suicide blast that killed at least 59 people, ARY News reported on Sunday.
In the remote Balochistan district of Mastung, a suicide bomber targeted an Eid-Milad-un Nabi (PBUH) procession, killing people, including a police officer, and injuring 100 more.
In Quetta, Mastung, Ziarat, Kalat, and other Baloch cities and towns, all markets and trade hubs were closed while rallies were being held across the region denouncing the attack and offering ‘Fateha’ for the victims.
The Ittehad called on the authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of the Mustang tragedy are brought to justice and also called for a province-wide shutter down strike on Saturday, according to ARY News.
A suicide bomber on Friday targeted people gearing up for a procession related to Eid Miladun Nabi, near a mosque in the Mastung district.
At least 52 people were killed initially, according to district health official Abdul Rasheed, Geo News reported, adding that the victims included children in the age group of 9-11 and at least 58 people were injured.
“My feet trembled and I was thrown to the ground,” said 49-year-old Hazoor Bakhsh.
“As the dust settled, I saw people scattered in all directions, some screaming while others called out for help,” Geo News quoted him as saying.
Hours after the blast in Balochistan, a second attack took place at a mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu city. That incident claimed the lives of five people, including a policeman, and left 12 others injured, according to Geo News.
The incident took place within the limits of Doaba police station during the Friday prayers.
Earlier in the day, the Pakistan security forces in Balochistan registered a first information report (FIR) on the Mastung suicide blast. (ANI)