Maps
Magazine

LEGAL

CTD Files Terrorism Case Over Mastung Blast That Killed Eight, Including Five Children
Quetta's CTD has registered a terrorism case after the tragic Mastung blast that claimed 8 lives, including 5 schoolchildren.
ND
by News Desk
2024-11-02
CTD Files Terrorism Case Over Mastung Blast That Killed Eight, Including Five Children

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in Quetta has filed a terrorism case following a devastating blast in Mastung that took eight lives, including five children, and left over 30 people injured. The incident, which occurred on Friday, involved an improvised explosive device (IED) planted in a motorbike. The IED was detonated near a girls’ school at School-Hospital Chowk in the Majeed Road area, just as students were arriving in vans and rickshaws.

 

Police officials stated that the target of the remote-controlled blast was a police vehicle en route to the Mastung district hospital to collect polio vaccination teams for deployment in the ongoing national immunization drive. Tragically, five children, a police officer, and two civilians lost their lives in the blast. As of yet, no group has claimed responsibility for this atrocity.

 

The First Information Report (FIR), registered at around 3:15 p.m. on Friday on the complaint of Mastung City Station House Officer (SHO) Abdul Fateh, accused unidentified terrorists of “targeting innocent children and the public.” According to Bomb Disposal team head Rafiq Shah, approximately seven to eight kilograms of explosive material, along with ball bearings, were used in the IED blast.

 

The FIR also noted the significant damage caused by the explosion, with several rickshaws, a wall of the nearby Manzoor Shaheed Library, and windows of the girls’ high school shattered by the force of the blast. Among the injured and martyred were children and members of a police team who were in transit to support polio duty in the area.

 

The terrorism case has been registered under multiple sections of Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act, Explosive Substances Act, and Pakistan Penal Code, including sections addressing punishment for acts of terrorism, aid and abetment, causing explosions endangering life and property, and mischief causing property damage.

 

The tragic incident has drawn widespread condemnation from leaders and organizations. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, describing it as “a manifestation of terrorists’ animosity towards education in Balochistan.” Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti also expressed sorrow and outrage, calling the attack “inhumane” and lamenting the targeting of “innocent children along with poor laborers.” He connected the incident to a recent attack in Panjgur, where five security guards were killed.

 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also issued a statement, condemning the attack and stressing the urgency of ensuring safety for all children. This incident highlights the pressing need for enhanced security in the region, especially for those vulnerable populations targeted by terrorism.
Tagged:

Balochistan

CTD

Terrorism

MastungBlast

EducationUnderAttack
Share News: