Quetta observes shutter down strike on Hazara Town incident

QUETTA: The city is mourning the death of 30 persons who lost their lives in the suicide bomb blast that took place in Hazara Town of Quetta on Sunday night. 65 people were also injured in the horrific blast.

The air remained filled with despair and remorse while the city is observing shutter down strike today. Until last night, the death toll stood at 28 but today, two more injured succumbed to their injuries, pushing the toll to 30.

A case has been registered in Brewery Road police station while an investigation team has been formed that will be headed by the superintendent of police to probe the bombing.

Various organizations including Hazara Democratic Party, Shia Conference and Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) had called for a shutter down strike to mourn the horrifying incident.

Following the strike call by different organizations, many roads and markets including Alamdar Road, Jinnah Road, Hazara Town, Kirani Road, Bacha Khan intersection, Mission Road, Shahrae Iqbal, Liaquat Bazar and many more are completely shut while thin traffic was observed on the roads.

Earlier, announcing a three-day mourning across the country, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Sunday night said the police, the agencies, the judiciary, and the administration could stave off tragedies like Hazara Town if they were really bent on it.

“If they just solemnly pledge not to let it happen again, Pakistan will be terrorism free” MWM Punjab leadership said in a press conference held here.

MWM leader Allama Abdul Khaliq Asadi said it was obvious from the rampancy of terrorism in just three out of four provinces of Pakistan that it was a conspiracy far bigger than it seemed.

Asadi also slammed the government for inviting the terrorists for negotiations rather than dealing them a deadly blow once and for all.

He appealed to the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry to take suo moto notice of the attack.

Quetta was rocked by a powerful suicide bomb explosion that killed at least 30 people, including women and children, and injured 65 others in Hazara Town.

Police said that the bomber attempted to barge into an imambargah but detonated his explosives-laden vest after he failed. The blast took place in Aliabad Bazaar when people were busy in their routine shopping.

The blast also caused suspension of electricity supply to the area.

The police and law enforcement agencies reached in the area after the blast, but the angry mob did not allow them to reach the blast site. Later, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Mir Zubair and other senior officials of the police and administration reached the spot and supervised the rescue operation.

Heavy contingent of police and the Frontier Corps (FC) cordoned off the area as the officials of the bomb disposal squad examined the type of the explosive material. Mir Zubair told media persons that the suicide bomber had reached the spot of explosion on a bicycle. However, it is being investigated as how the suicide bomber reached there despite security measures adopted at the site. He said the bomber looks like an Uzbek.