[The blast came after the shooting early Monday of Bilal Anwar Kasi, president of the Baluchistan Bar Association, by unknown attackers. Local news reports said that he was killed by men on a motorcycle as he was on his way to court. As the news of Mr. Kasi’s death spread through Quetta, dozens of lawyers went to Civil Hospital, where his body had been taken for an autopsy.]
By Salman Masood
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Mourners on Monday after
the hospital attack in Quetta. The blast occurred
shortly after the body of
a prominent lawyer, killed by gunmen earlier in
the day, had been
transferred to the hospital. Credit Banaras
Khan/Agence France-Presse
— Getty Images
|
ISLAMABAD,
Pakistan — At least 54
people were killed on Monday in the restive Pakistani city of Quetta when an
explosion, apparently caused by a suicide bomber, struck a hospital where
dozens of lawyers had gathered to condemn the killing of a prominent colleague.
Officials in the southwestern city said that
at least 50 people were wounded, most of them critically, and that the death
toll was likely to rise.
Quetta is the capital of Baluchistan, a
province bordering Afghanistan and Iran that has been a center separatist and
sectarian violence for more than a decade. Much of the violence in Quetta has
come from sectarian extremist groups that have targeted Hazaras, a mostly
Shiite ethnic minority that makes up a large part of Quetta’s population.
Quetta has a large contingent of civil
security and paramilitary forces, and the authorities have claimed in recent
months that they have brought some semblance of normalcy to the city. But the
bombing on Monday showed that the militant threat there is far from solved.
The blast came after the shooting early
Monday of Bilal Anwar Kasi, president of the Baluchistan Bar Association, by
unknown attackers. Local news reports said that he was killed by men on a
motorcycle as he was on his way to court. As the news of Mr. Kasi’s death
spread through Quetta, dozens of lawyers went to Civil Hospital, where his body
had been taken for an autopsy.
As they protested the killing, a powerful
blast ripped through the entrance to the hospital’s emergency department,
leading to widespread panic. Television footage showed scores of lawyers
running for cover as gunfire echoed in the background.
Some lawyers could be seen pushing a
stretcher bearing a wounded colleague, as others urged them to safety. “Get
inside, get inside,” one lawyer could be heard saying, waving, as others rushed
into the hospital building. Two cameramen working for two local news networks
were among those killed.
The bombing left a trail of destruction. The
charred bodies of victims lay in pools of blood. Several vehicles parked nearby
were damaged, and windows in nearby buildings were shattered.
There was no immediate claim of
responsibility for the bombing or for Mr. Kasi’s shooting. Officials said they
were investigating possible motives for both assaults.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly
condemned the bombing on Monday, urging the law enforcement authorities to
improve security in Quetta. “No one will be allowed to disturb the peace in the
province that has been restored thanks to the countless sacrifices by the
security forces, police and the people of Baluchistan,” he said in a statement.
By the afternoon, Gen. Raheel Sharif, the
Pakistani Army chief, had reached the city to visit victims and express
solidarity. General Sharif then led a meeting of senior security officials,
according to Lt. Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa, the army spokesman.
General Bajwa, in a message posted on
Twitter, claimed that the attack was “an attempt to undermine the improved
security” in Baluchistan, specifically targeting the China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor, a multibillion-dollar endeavor by both countries that includes
infrastructure networks and energy projects.
A spokesman for Baluchistan’s government,
Anwar ul-Haq Kakar, said that the perpetrators would soon be brought to
justice. “This is indeed a highly condemnable act, but such cowardly acts
cannot shake our resolve of eradicating the menace of terrorism,” he said by
telephone.
The Pakistani Bar Association said lawyers
across the country would hold a one-day strike on Tuesday and would spend a
week in mourning.
Follow Salman Masood on Twitter
@salmanmasood.
Ihsanullah Tipu Mehsud contributed reporting.
