On a frigid Friday evening in Quetta, a scene of heart-wrenching despair unfolded as dozens of people huddled outside Quetta Civil Hospital, their bodies wracked with sobs. Just hours earlier, a devastating suicide bomb blast had ripped through a religious gathering in Mastung, leaving a trail of death and destruction in its wake, with at least 52 people killed and dozens more wounded.
Barakat Ali, a young man who had borne witness to the aftermath of the explosion, stood outside the hospital’s trauma center, his clothes stained with blood. He recounted the horrifying sight, saying, “All I saw were dead bodies and injured after the blast. I cannot forget the hue and cry of the injured battling for their lives on the spot,” tears streaming down his face.
Authorities revealed that the attacker had detonated himself in the midst of a crowd that had assembled near a mosque to participate in a procession commemorating the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. A senior security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, shared, “The suicide bomber blew himself up inside the procession to cause maximum damage.”
Tragically, the horror did not end there. Shortly after the blast in Balochistan province, another bombing occurred at a mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the northwest of the country, claiming the lives of at least five more people. As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for either of these devastating attacks.
Beside the overwhelming grief, a palpable anger gripped the mourners. Demands for justice and punishment for the terrorists responsible echoed through the crowd. A grieving mother cried out, “Is this justice? I lost a young son. What was his sin?” Her words were accompanied by the anguish of others who had also lost loved ones in the blast.
Calls for better healthcare for the wounded resonated among the grieving families. Some demanded that both the Balochistan government and the federal government provide improved medical care for the injured. Religious leader Maulana Abdul Rasool expressed frustration with the hospital administration, stating that despite repeated requests, they were not cooperative in providing better healthcare to those fighting for their lives.
Waseem Baig, a spokesperson for the hospital, reported that 51 people wounded in Mastung were currently receiving treatment, with seven of them in serious condition. Balochistan’s caretaker home minister, Zubair Jamali, visited the hospital and pledged that those responsible for the attack would be held accountable. He emphasized the gravity of the situation, remarking, “This is unacceptable; we will bring the terrorists to book.”
As Pakistan grapples with a dramatic surge in armed attacks throughout the year, with hundreds of such incidents recorded in recent months, the pain and suffering wrought by these acts of violence continue to cast a long shadow over the nation.
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