File photo of Hafiz Hamdullah. Screengrab from YouTube
At least 11 people, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl) leader Hafiz Hamdullah, were injured on Thursday after a bomb targeted their vehicle in Mastung, Balochistan.
Confirming that 11 people had been injured in the explosion, the Mastung senior superintendent of police (SSP) told media that the nature of the blast remained unclear and would be made public after investigations. A Balochistan Health Department spokesperson, meanwhile, said that at least one of the injured was in critical condition.
Earlier, Mustang Deputy Commissioner Abdul Razzaq Sasoli told various media outlets that three of the injured, including Hamdullah, had been shifted to hospital in Quetta after being provided initial aid in Mastung. He also clarified that the JUIF leader’s condition was out of danger. This was further confirmed by JUIF spokesperson Aslam Ghauri, who told Geo News that Hamdullah and several of his colleagues, including guards, had “minor” injuries.
“He [Hamdullah] is injured but not critically,” he said. “His gunmen and two party colleagues have also been injured but their condition is stable,” he said, adding they had been traveling from Quetta to Kalat when the attack occurred. “We still do not know if it was a suicide blast or a planted bomb,” he said.
Condemning the blast, interim Balochistan Home Minister Zubair Jamali ordered relevant authorities to submit a report into the incident. In a statement, he said the district administration had been directed to help the injured, adding all available resources would be utilized to eliminate terrorists. He also prayed for the swift recovery of all injured.
Former president Asif Ali Zardari, who is also co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party, prayed for the injured and condemned the bombing. “Terrorists and facilitators involved in terrorism should be brought under the law,” he said in a statement issued by the PPP.
No group has, thus far, claimed responsibility for the bombing. However, members of the JUIF have in the past been targeted by the Islamic State-Khorasan group. Last month, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan also targeted a rally of the party in Bajaur, leaving 54 people dead and injuring over 200 others.