Saturday, December 11, 2004
Quetta blast kills 11, injures 30
* Balochistan Liberation Army claims responsibility * Military truck, eight cars and 10 shops wrecked * Musharraf and Aziz condemn blast * Compensation announced for blast victims
By Azizullah Khan
QUETTA: A powerful bomb exploded at Mezan Chowk in Quetta on Friday, killing at least 11 people and injuring at least 30, officials said.
The bomb, weighing at least 4 kilogrammes, had been attached to a bicycle, officials said.
Nationalist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for the bombing. The blast in the centre of the city wrecked a military truck and at least eight other vehicles. At least 10 shops in a business district were also damaged, witnesses said.
Human body parts and blood were splattered around the busy square, which was sealed off by the security forces. Several victims were killed on the spot, and others died in hospital, doctors said. ISPR officials said two Pakistani soldiers were among the dead, while at least four others were among the wounded.
BLA spokesman Azad Baloch told reporters by telephone from his hideout, “The bombing is a warning to the government to stop the construction of new cantonments and Gwadar Port in Balochistan.”
Meanwhile, President Pervez Musharraf condemned on Friday the blast at Mezan Chowk and vowed to take action against the perpetrators.
He said the explosion was triggered by people working against peace and development in the country and promised to foil their attempts. He said such incidents would not deter the government from completing developing projects. He said development projects of national importance would continue, particularly in Balochistan, to bring it at par with the rest of the country.
President Musharraf also condoled with the blast victims’ families and said people who targeted the innocent would not be spared. He ordered the district administration and law enforcement agencies to take all steps to arrest those responsible and called for coordinated efforts to track down the terrorists.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz also condemned the bomb blast at Mezan Chowk, saying action would be taken against the perpetrators. He ordered the authorities to track down the terrorists and punish them and asked the district administration to provide the latest treatment to the injured. He also condoled with the victims’ families and said the government would continue fighting terrorism.
Information Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed denounced what he called “a heinous act of terrorism”.
“The people responsible will not go unpunished,” he said. “The terrorists want to destabilise the country and create anarchy over here, but they will fail in their designs.” Officials say the nationalists lack popular support and are backed only by handful of tribal chiefs opposed to the development.
Balochistan Governor Owais Ahmed Ghani also condoled with the victims’ families and said the perpetrators were not helping the province by taking the lives of innocent civilians. Chief Minister Jam Yousaf condemned the explosion and ordered police to arrest those responsible for the act. Quetta Nazim Rahim Kakar blamed “nationalists who don’t want to see progress in Balochistan” for the incident. He announced Rs 100,000 for the families of those killed in the explosion, Rs 50,000 for the seriously injured and Rs 25,000 for those slightly injured.
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