Nearly 30 people in Pakistan were killed in in separate blasts suicide car bomber killing at least 13 in the southwestern city of Quetta and two blasts later killing at least 15 in the northwest town of Parachinar
Bombs killed nearly 30 people in Pakistan on Friday, with a suicide car bomber killing at least 13 in the southwestern city of Quetta, and two blasts later killing at least 15 in the northwest town of Parachinar, officials said.
Two Army aviation helicopters have been flown from Peshawar to bring in the critically injured as the hospital in Parachinar lacks facilities. Seven police officers were killed in the first attack, in Quetta, which happened when police stopped the car to search it at a checkpoint.
Balochistan government spokesperson Anwarul Haq Kakar told Geo News that the suspected bomber in the car tried to break a security perimetre to target the police offices but blew up after policemen standing guard attempted to stop him.
No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but Kakar blamed India for the blast.
This comes amid tensions due to Pakistan hanged Jadhav, who Pakistan said had crossed into Baluchistan from neighboring Iran, was arrested in March 2016 and sentenced to death in April.
In New Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs insisted Jadhav was sentenced on "concocted charges" and expressed doubts about the existence of the petition for mercy. It also reiterated that the proceedings against Jadhav have been shrouded "in opacity."
Baluchistan has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by Baluch nationalists and separatists, who want a bigger share of the regional resources or outright independence, but also attacks blamed on the Pakistani Taliban and others. Those militant groups include Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which is considered a close ally of IS, as well as Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, which has taken credit for several previous attacks in Baluchistan and elsewhere and has bases in Pakistan's tribal regions.
Security officials also confirmed that the blast was the result of a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device which exploded after the "suspicious" driver was spotted by policemen.
DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema, addressing the media, said they are examining CCTV footage to determine the details of the incident.
Security forces cordoned off the site of the blast and began investigating after rescue services shifted the injured and deceased to the hospital.
