QUETTA – Another victim of Mastung blast has succumbed to injuries afterwhich the death toll has reached 131.

A suicide blast ripped through a crowd at a political rally in Mastung onFriday, killing 131 including younger brother of former Balochistan chiefminister Aslam Raisani and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) candidate,Nawabzada Siraj Raisani.

The blast is the latest in a string of attacks that have spurred fears ofviolence ahead of nationwide polls on July 25. Authorities said the suicidebomber detonated in the middle of a compound where the political meetingwas taking place.

One political worker, Salam Baloch, said he heard a “deafening blast” andsaw a “thick grey ball of fire and smoke”.

“People put… bodies and the injured in rickshaws and other vehicles andrushed them to hospital before rescue officials arrived,” he added.——————————

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Emergency workers also shuttled victims in ambulances as bystanders sobbedin the darkness due to the lack of electricity in the impoverished area.

Survivors in blood-smeared clothes were taken to hospitals in Mastung andnearby Quetta, where they were greeted by tense crowds of mourners. Thedeceased could be seen covered in shrouds.

The attack was the most lethal since Taliban militants assaulted a schoolin the northwestern city of Peshawar in 2014, killing over 150 people,mostly children, and one of the deadliest in Pakistan’s long struggle withmilitancy.

It came hours after four people were killed and 39 injured when a bombhidden inside a motorcycle detonated close to another politician’s convoyin Bannu on Friday, near the border with Afghanistan.——————————

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The politician — Akram Khan Durrani, a candidate of the MuttahidaMajlis-e-Amal (MMA) party — survived, police said. No group has yetclaimed responsibility for that attack.

On Tuesday, a bomb claimed by the Taliban targeted a rally by the AwamiNational Party (ANP) in the city of Peshawar.

Local ANP leader Haroon Bilour was among the 22 killed. Thousands flockedto his funeral the next day.——————————

*Condemnations pour in after Mastung explotion*——————————

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa denounced the attack,saying that the country has lost talented and deserving politician. Won’tallow anyone to sabotage democratic activities, he added.

President Mamnoon Hussain and caretaker Prime Minister retired JusticeNasirul Mulk have strongly condemned blast in Mastung, Balochistan.

They expressed deep grief and sorrow over loss of precious lives in theblast. They directed for providing the best medical facilities to theinjured.

Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SardarMuhammad Raza also condemned the blast on Balochistan Awami Party leaderand election candidate in PB-35 Siraj Raisani in Mastung.

Sardar Muhammad Raza expressed deep grief and sorrow over death of SirajRaisani and others in the attack.

Interim Balochistan Chief Minister Allauddin Marri has strongly condemnedthe bomb attack on corner meeting.

Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has strongly condemnedterrorist bombing on the convoy of JUI-F leader Akram Khan Durrani nearBannu and stressed for adequate security to the contesting candidates inthe wake of growing terrorist threats.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan strongly condemn thebomb blast in Mastung which left 20 people including Nawabzada SirajRaisani dead and many others injured.——————————

*Duty to protect*——————————

Militants have targeted politicians, religious gatherings, security forcesand even schools in Pakistan.

But security across the country has dramatically improved since governmentand military operations cleared large swathes of territory near the Afghanborder in recent years.

Last month, a US air strike killed the leader of the Taliban, MaulanaFazlullah, in neighbouring Afghanistan in what the Pakistani army called a”positive development” that also sparked fears of reprisals.

The military has warned of security threats in the run-up to the tenseelection on July 25, and said it will deploy more than 370,000 soldiers onpolling day.

Activists called for Pakistani authorities to remain vigilant to protectcandidates during the final days of the campaign season, already tense amida stand-off between former premier Nawaz Sharif and the securityestablishment. – APP/AFP