The Quetta suicide blast toll has climbed to 15 after a deadly explosion near a political rally of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) on Sariab Road, officials confirmed on Wednesday.
Balochistan Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar said that out of 38 injured, eight are still receiving treatment at the trauma centre. He noted that an inquiry committee has been formed to investigate the incident, stressing that tight security arrangements prevented the bomber from reaching the rally venue.
The attack, which struck near Shahwani Stadium late Tuesday evening, left several victims in critical condition. Authorities, including Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, have directed that seriously wounded patients be shifted to Karachi if needed.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the assault, calling it a heinous attempt to destabilize Balochistan. The president expressed solidarity with grieving families and ordered a comprehensive investigation. Meanwhile, the prime minister said the attack was "damning evidence of terrorists’ conspiracy to spread chaos" and vowed to continue the fight against extremism until "this menace is completely eradicated."
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Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Hamza Shafqaat revealed that around eight kilograms of explosives were used in the bombing. He added that while permission for the BNP rally was initially withheld due to security threats, pressure from organizers led to approval.
According to Shafqaat, over 120 police officers were deployed to safeguard the rally, which ended hours before the explosion. “Had the blast taken place at the rally’s peak, the casualties would have been much higher,” he warned.
He also disclosed that 22 suspicious individuals recently entered Balochistan, raising fears that more suicide bombers could be among them. To minimize risks, the provincial government has now banned rallies after sundown, citing the Sariab Road tragedy as an alarming wake-up call.
The Quetta suicide blast toll comes at a time when Pakistan faces a surge in terrorist violence, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A recent report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies highlighted that in June alone, the country witnessed 78 terrorist attacks, claiming 100 lives and leaving nearly 200 people injured.
Authorities have since registered a case under terrorism and murder provisions, with forensic teams analyzing the bomber’s remains to trace facilitators. The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) is spearheading investigations.
