QUETTA: A suicide explosion targeting a rally of a nationalist party in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province killed at least 13 people and injured 31 on Tuesday, a senior official said, as the party leadership declared three days of mourning in the wake of the deadly attack.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but most impoverished province, has been the site of a long-running insurgency that has intensified in recent months, with separatist militants attacking security forces, government officials and people from other provinces. These militant groups have long accused the Pakistani state of exploiting the province’s vast natural resources without equitably sharing the benefits with local communities.
Pakistani authorities have, however, consistently rejected these accusations, maintaining that a significant number of development projects are underway to uplift Balochistan’s economy, improve infrastructure and expand access to education and health care.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s suicide bombing, which targeted a rally arranged by the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) in Quetta to mark the fourth death anniversary of its former leader Attaullah Mengal.
