Pakistan: FIR registered in Mastung blast case; death toll jumps to 55

The Pakistan security forces in Balochistan registered the first information report (FIR) regarding the Mastung suicide blast which killed at least 55 people

Islamabad: The Pakistan security forces in Balochistan registered the first information report (FIR) regarding the Mastung suicide blast which killed at least 55 people, ARY News reported on Saturday.

On Friday, 55 people, including a police officer, lost their lives and dozens of them were left injured in a suicide blast near a 12th Rabiul Awwal procession in Balochistan’s Mastung district in Pakistan.

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According to the ARY News, the preliminary report of the incident has been submitted to the Balochistan caretaker Chief Minister Ali Mardan Khan Domki.

Apart from this, the Domki has also chaired a high-level session to review progress on the investigation into the Mastung suicide blast.

Caretaker CM said that the initial evidence of the Mastung blast came forth and the culprits will be brought to justice soon.

He also assured that the families of the deceased would get the compensation money and the government would bear all the treatment expenses of injured people.

On September 29, District Health Officer (DHO) Abdul Rasheed Shahi confirmed the casualties. City Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammad Javed Lehri said a police official was among the casualties, according to a report by the Pakistan-based daily.

Dr Saeed Mirwani, chief executive of Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Memorial Hospital, said dozens of people were undergoing treatment at his hospital while more than 20 injured have been referred to Quetta for medical assistance, Dawn reported.

According to Mastung Assistant Commissioner (AC) Atta-ul-Munim, the explosion took place when people were gathering for an Eid-i-Miladun Nabi procession near Madina Masjid at Alfalah Road.

He identified the DSP who had been killed as Nawaz Gishkori.

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan denied it had carried out the attack. Balochistan interim Information Minister Jan Achakzai said rescue teams had been sent to Mastung. He further said that the critically injured people were being taken to Quetta and that an emergency had been imposed in all the hospitals.

Pakistan’s Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Ahmed Bugti condemned the blast and expressed his grief at the loss of lives. He said that all resources were being put to use during the rescue operation, Dawn reported.

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was deeply saddened by the cowardly attack on innocent people.” He asserted that such heinous acts had no place in our country”.

He further said, “May justice be swift for those responsible.”