Skip to main content

ایک آدمی نے اپنے دوست کے گھر فون کیا

Pakistan election: Two blasts kill 28 in Balochistan day before vote?

 

akistan election: Two blasts kill 28 in Balochistan day before vote

  • Published
Media caption,

Watch: Chaos and panic in wake of fatal Pakistan blasts

Two bomb explosions near candidates' offices in the Pakistani province of Balochistan killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens on the eve of general elections, officials said.

The first blast killed 16 people in Pishin district, north of Quetta city.

The second explosion left 12 people dead in Qila Saifullah to the east. The Islamic State (IS) group said it was responsible for both attacks.

The vote has been marred by violence and claims of poll-rigging.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan is banned from standing, jailed on corruption charges he claims are politically motivated.

IS said both of Wednesday's bombings were carried out using motorbikes rigged with explosives.

Resource-rich Balochistan - Pakistan's largest, and poorest, province - has a history of violence. It has seen a decades-long struggle for greater autonomy by various groups, some of them armed. Islamist militants, including the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), operate along the border with Afghanistan

The bomb in Pishin, a town about 100km (62 miles) south-east of the Afghan border, went off in front of an independent candidate's party office. The provincial authorities said 25 people were also wounded.

Images on social media showed cars and motorbikes blown apart by the force of the explosion. Officials told the BBC the candidate was meeting his polling agent at the time.

The second blast targeted the election office of the JUI-F party. A senior police official told AFP news agency it took place in the main bazaar of Qila Saifullah, about 190km (120 miles) east of Quetta.

Twenty people were wounded in the incident and the number of casualties in the two attacks could rise, officials said.

Balochistan blasts map

There have been violent incidents in both Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces in the week before Thursday's vote, and the violence in Pishin and Qila Saifullah was not unexpected.

In mid-January, Baloch Liberation Army-Azad (BLA) insurgents released a pamphlet after claiming responsibility for bombing an election training office. The pamphlet urged people to boycott the elections. Soon after, reports of hand grenade attacks on political party offices were reported from various cities in the province.

Many voters in Balochistan feel neglected by the country's political parties, given the province has so few seats in parliament. They often feel candidates are foisted on them, with few if any links to Balochistan.

And many feel the vote is unfair. "It is a selection," numerous people told BBC Urdu in the city of Turbat last month.

Imran KhanIMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES
Image caption,
Once seen as the Pakistan army's golden boy, Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote widely seen as orchestrated by the armed forces

Following Wednesday's attacks, the Balochistan government said Thursday's vote would proceed as planned.

"Rest assured, we will not allow terrorists to undermine or sabotage this crucial democratic process," provincial information minister Jan Achakzai posted on X, formerly Twitte  

More than 128 million voters are eligible to cast ballots in the election. In Pakistan's first-past-the-post system, 266 of 336 National Assembly seats are directly elected.

But many people are questioning the credibility of the vote as Khan and his party, the PTI, have been sidelined.

The PTI won the largest number of seats in the last general election but Khan was jailed on corruption charges last year and disqualified from running for public office. Last week he was convicted in three other cases and is facing years in prison. He says all the charges are politically motivated.

The authorities deny carrying out a crackdown, but many PTI leaders are behind bars, in hiding or have defected. Thousands of the party's supporters were rounded up after protests - at times violent - when Khan was taken into custody last year.

Nawaz Sharif addresses a public gathering during an election campaign in Lahore, Pakistan on 29 January 2024IMAGE SOURCE,EPA
Image caption,
Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted five years ago, is now the front-runner in Pakistan's elections

PTI candidates are having to run as independents following the electoral commission's decision to strip the party of its cricket bat symbol. Electoral symbols are vital in helping voters mark their ballots in a country with high rates of illiteracy.

The man tipped to win Thursday's election is three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif, who himself was behind bars at the last election. Analysts say it appears he has done a deal with the military to facilitate his return to politics.

A high turnout will be key to the PTI's chances, many analysts say. How to tackle, and who to blame for, the country's economic crisis will be high in voters' minds. Results must be announced within 14 days of the election.

Additional reporting by Caroline Davies

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

apane kor ko majaboot karane ka 5 sabase tez tareeka kya hai?

  apane kor ko majaboot karane ka 5 sabase tez tareeka kya hai?  apane kor ko majaboot karane aur apane ebs ko ton karane ke lie apane agale eb varkaut mein in 5 kor eksarasaij ko shaamil karen. kor eksarasaij ek majaboot kor banaane mein madad karatee hai jo aapako svasth aur dard se mukt rakhegee. ek hee kasarat mein apane kor ko majaboot karate hue apane ebs ko taraashen! aapaka kor aapake gurutvaakarshan ka kendr hai. ek majaboot kor poore vyaayaam aur rojamarra kee jindagee mein majaboot kaaryaatmak gati kee anumati deta hai. aapako lagaataar apane kor ko vyast rakhana chaahie, chaahe aap varkaut kar rahe hon, kichan mein khade hokar khaana bana rahe hon ya kaam par baithe hon. 1 The plank yah kaise karana hai: plaink sabase klaasik kor moov hai, lekin eb rooteen aur grup phitanes klaases mein isakee nirantar upasthiti ke baavajood, yah kabhee bhee aasaan nahin hota hai. apane agr-bhujaon se shuroo karate hue, apane pairon ko peechhe kee or phailaen aur apane pair kee ungaliyon pa

How to do makeup step by step?

Teach you how to make up step by step?  When you go shopping for cosmetics, have you ever wondered what kind of foundation is suitable for you?  The fastest way is to ask the clerk?  Doesn't seem like a good idea. What foundation is best for you? Is something more expensive?  It doesn't seem right, sticking to your skin is the best.  Choose the foundation according to the skin type and the feeling you want to express. To choose the foundation according to the skin type, you must know which foundation is suitable for which skin. What color can you use to control your skin? Is it very difficult? Please refer to the table below! Compare your own color, choose a suitable control foundation, and apply a foundation <BR><BR>How can I apply a foundation well? Of course, it should be painted according to the outline of the muscles. The order of painting should start from the cheeks, here is the most important part Cheeks - Lips - Nose - Forehead - Eyes - Neck Thin places: t-

Israel told the United Nations to evacuate 1.1 million residents in north Gaza within 24 hours,

 Israel told the United Nations to evacuate 1.1 million residents in north Gaza within 24 hours, in the strongest sign yet that a ground offensive is imminent. Spokesperson of the UN Secretary-General, Stephane Dujarric, said such a move was “impossible.” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered reassurances of ongoing U.S. support to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, heading into a meeting in Tel Aviv, in the wake of bloody attacks perpetrated by Palestinian militant group Hamas against Israel over the weekend. “We’re here, we’re not going anywhere,” Blinken told Netanyahu.  U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu meet in Tel Aviv Separately, Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary-General Hussein al-Sheikh said on X that Blinken will convene with President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority on Friday. The U.S. has firmly denounced the Hamas attacks and previously proposed a humanitarian corridor for civilians in the Gaza Strip