attacked the Government Hospital of Quetta in Pakistan with a suicide bombing and shooting that resulted in the deaths of at least 93 people and injured more than 130 others.[4] The fatalities were mainly advocates (lawyers) who had assembled at the hospital where the body of Advocate Bilal Anwar Kasi, the president of Balochistan Bar Association, was brought after he was shot dead by an unknown gunman.[5] Responsibility for the attack has been claimed by various Islamist groups like Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and the Islamic State. Contents Incident
Advocate Bilal Anwar Kasi, the
president of Balochistan Bar Association, was attacked on the morning of 8 August near Mengal Chowk on Manno Jan Road while leaving his home for his office. His dead body was brought to the Government Hospital for autopsy and many advocates assembled there. A suspected suicide bombing took place inside the hospital, which was followed by gunfire resulting in fatalities and injuries.[5][6]
Police and Frontier Corps took
over the area after the attack and an emergency was declared in hospitals of Quetta.[7] Mobile phone jammers were activated in the hospital area.[8] The Bomb Disposal Squad reported that 8 to 9 kilograms of explosives were used in the attack.[9] Two journalists, one from Aaj News and the other fromDawn News, died in the Quetta Civil Hospital attack while working.[10] Perpetrators
Both the Pakistani Taliban and the
Islamic State militant group (ISIS) have claimed responsibility for the attack. Initially Islamic State claimed the responsibility for the attack stating that A martyr from the Islamic State detonated his explosive belt at a gathering of justice ministry employees and Pakistani policemen in the city of Quetta..[3][11][12] However, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of Pakistani militant group Tehrik-i- Taliban Pakistan, also claimed credit for the attack on advocate Kasi and the hospital.[1][13][14] The group threatened that more attacks would take place until the imposition of an Islamic system in Pakistan.[8]
ISPR quoted Army Chief Raheel
Sharif as saying that the attack was targeting China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC)[15] Reactions Domestic Pakistan government
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and
President Mamnoon Hussain condemned the attack and expressed their grief over the loss. The government announced three- day mourning in which the National Flag of Pakistan will remain at half staff on government buildings.[5]
Balochistan Chief Minister
Sanaullah Zehri, before initial investigations into the blast were completed and before the nature of the blast was confirmed,[16] alleged that Indian intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Afghanistans intelligence agency National Directorate of Security (NDS) were behind recent terror incidents in Quetta including this one.[3][17] [18][19] Pakistans Home Minister Bugti claimed that the administration had evidence to show that RAW was promoting violence in the province by bankrolling terrorists.[20] Accusations of Indian involvement were reiterated by former Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf.[21]Similarly, Pakistan Foreign office spokesman Nafees Zakaria alleges that Indian intelligence agencies have had continued involvement in subversive terrorism activities in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan and Karachi. Zakaria further said that there are foreign intelligence agencies working in conjunction with local terrorist organizations to carry out attacks such as the one in Quetta.[22]National Security adviser Sartaj Aziz said that Jamaat-ul-Ahrar carried out the suicide blast with assistance of Afghanistan intelligence.According to him coordination between National Directorate of Security and RAW was evident. [23][24]
Leader of opposition in Pakistani
Senate, Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan stated that All the responsibility lies with Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan under theNational Action Plan (NAP), and that the buck stops at the interior minister as he is responsible for internal security of the country. Aitzaz said that NAP is not being implemented as banned outfits are free to enter the federal capital and hate speech is also rampant.[25][26] [27] Pakistani military
NAP review meeting was held to
review the implementation of National Action Plan. A task force consisting of senior officials from the security agencies of both the federal and provincial governments, will be established to monitor the progress. Military views that threat to internal security was morphing due to nexus between hostile foreign intelligence agencies and local militant groups. [28]Commander Southern Command Lt-Gen Aamer Riaz claimed India had launched a unconventional war with Pakistan.[29] Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai stated that the Quetta blast was a failure of Pakistani Intelligence Agencies and that they should look into the failure of their own departments instead of blaming RAW for terrorists attack and demanded to sack security officials if perpetrators are not found. [30] [31][32][33][34] International United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon,[35][36] United States White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest[37] Afghan President Ashraf Ghani[38] and French President Franois Hollande all condemned the attack.[39] The Pakistan and England cricket teams observed a minute of silence before the start of their fourth test match. Both teams wore black arm-bands in solidarity with the victims.[40]
Social networking website
Facebook activated its Safety Check feature enabling people to mark themselves safe.[41] Web Assistant.