3 including central JUI-F leader dead as explosion rocks Chaman in Balochistan – Pakistan

At least three people, including a leader of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), were killed and more than a dozen more were injured in an explosion that shook the Chaman area of ​​the Qilla Abdullah district of Balochistan, assistant commissioner of Chaman Yasir Dashti said.

According to police officers, the bomb was an improvised explosive device (IED) that was placed on a motorcycle parked on the side of the road.

The explosion initially left Maulana Muhammad Hanif, a central leader of the JUI-F, seriously injured. He was being transferred to Quetta when he succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital, Dashti said.

Police said Hanif was the target of the attack.

The explosion occurred on Taj Road in Chaman, which is located a few kilometers from the country's border with Afghanistan, and broke windows in nearby buildings.

Among the dead is a 12-year-old boy, said Shaukat Mohmand, a Chaman district police officer. DawnNewsTV.

The injured were taken to the Chaman Civil Hospital, where an emergency was declared.

Chaman is considered a sensitive city in Balochistan, as it shares a border with the volatile Kandahar province of Afghanistan.

The explosion took place amid increased security in the area due to a presidential vote that took place across the border in Afghanistan.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion.

Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the incident and expressed deep regret and regret for the loss of precious lives, including the leader of the JUI-F.

The prime minister extended his sincere condolences to the heirs of the deceased and prayed that they would find the strength to endure the irreparable loss.

He also ordered the authorities to provide the best possible medical treatment to all the injured.

JUI-F leaders have also been targeted in Balochistan in the past.

In May 2017, the JUI-F leader and former Vice President of the Senate, Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, had been injured in a suicide attack against his convoy in the Mastung area. At least 28 people died in the attack and 39 others were injured.

In 2014, the party chief, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, had survived a suicide attack on Quetta when he returned after heading to a public meeting in Sadiq Shaheed Ground.