At least ten people were killed, including a police officer, while over forty sustained injuries in an explosion in Baluchistan’s Mastung district on September 29, 2023. The Assistant Commissioner of Mastung, Atta-ul-Munim, said that the explosion occurred near the mosque where people gathered to mark Eid-Miladun-Nabi or the birth anniversary of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad.
Statements of Government Authorities
The AC said that the explosion, which law enforcers believe to be a suicide blast, took place near Madina Mosque. He said that people had to gather and participate in a procession later. According to the district administration, Mastung Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Nawaz Gashkori is among the deceased.
The provincial caretaker and Information Minister, Jan Achakzai, said that those critically injured in the blast are being shifted to Quetta with emergency enforced across the city’s hospitals. He continued that required arrangements should be made for the transfer of seriously injured to Karachi. The hospitals in Karachi are being contacted on behalf of the health department.
The provincial government will bear all the expenses for the treatment of the injured,” he highlighted. The district administration of Quetta said that thirty injured in the blast were being sent to Shaheed Nawab Ghous Baksh Raisani Memorial Hospital, and the hospital management said that the hospital management said that medical aid was being provided to the injured.
Previous Incidents
This is the second major blast that has terrorised Mastung over the last fifteen days. In a previous blast that occurred on September 14, 2023, the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl leader Hafiz Hamdullah and several others were injured.
Mastung has remained a target of terror attacks for the past several years, with a major attack in July 2018 being one of the deadliest in the district’s history, where a total of 200 were injured, and at least 128 were killed, including Mir Siraj Khan Raisan, a provincial assembly candidate from the newly formed Balochistan Awami Party (BAP).
Wretched Beasts
Sarfaraz Bugti, the Interim Interior Minister, in a statement, condemned the blast and noted that the state has a zero-tolerance policy towards terrorists. Maqbool Baqar, the Interim Chief Minister of Sindh, also condemned the blasts as per the account given by his spokesperson. The statement read that those who are involved in taking the lives of innocent people are enemies of humanity.
Jamiat-Ulema -i-Pakistan leader Maulana Owais Noorani, in a post on X (Twitter), said that he was deeply saddened to hear about the deaths and injuries. The political leader who served as the special assistant to the Prime Minister of the previous government termed those involved in the blasts as wretched beasts.
Condolences from Other Politicians
The former governor of Sindh, Imran Ismail, strongly condemned the terror attack in Mastung and has slammed the terrorists for their cruel acts and for taking innocent lives. “The whole nation stands with the people of Mastung in this difficult time, he said, hoping the police would soon hold the terrorists accountable.
The caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, condemned the blast as he expressed sorrow over the loss of previous lives and extended his sympathies who lost their lives while condemning it. Shahbaz Sharif, then former PM and President of the PML-N, expressed sorrow over the lives of people lost while condemning it.
“It is concerning to see a rise in such incidents in Mastung,” he said, asking the government to ensure that those injured received the best of the treatment. The Balochistan interim Interior Minister Zubair Jamali has condemned the Mastung blast, seeking a report of the incident.
Provincial caretaker Chief Minister Ali Mardan Khan Domki has announced three-day mourning across the province following the tragedy, while Achakzai said the national flag will fly at half-mast on government buildings during the mourning period.
