Blast near PDM rally in Quetta; 3 killed, 7 injured

Karachi, October 25

A bomb blast hit the capital city

of Pakistan's Balochistan province on Sunday, leaving at least three persons dead and seven injured. The blast took place in a market in the Hazarganji area of Quetta, the provincial capital of southwest Balochistan province.

Ignoring security threats, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of 11 Opposition parties, held its third massive joint rally in the troubled southwestern Balochistan province's capital Quetta as part of its nationwide campaign to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan.

As the public meeting began at the Ayub Stadium in Quetta, the city witnessed the blast in the Hazarganji area, 35 to 40 minutes away from the rally site. According to police, an improvised explosive device (IED) was planted in a motorcycle. Undeterred by the blast, the PDM leaders went ahead with the rally. Addressing the rally via video link from London, PML-N supremo and three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif again blamed Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and ISI Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed for Pakistan's current situation. The rally took place despite the warning by the National Counter Terrorism Authority, which had issued a security alert, saying it received “credible information” that opposition rallies in Quetta and Peshawar could be targeted by the militants. The provincial government had asked the PDM not to hold the rally, but the leaders rejected the call.

Earlier this month, the PDM held two massive back-to-back gatherings in Gujranwala and Karachi. — PTI

‘It’s for provincial govt to maintain law & order’

PDM president Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also chief of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), said the provincial government should go home if it was unable to maintain law and order.

Third anti-govt rally by oppn parties

• The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was holding its third anti-government rally at the Ayub Ground in Quetta to press for PM Imran Khan's ouster at the time of the incident.
• The Balochistan government had appealed to the PDM to postpone the public meeting in view of security threats, but the leaders did not pay heed and decided to go ahead with the rally.

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