ISLAMABAD : At least seven people were killed and several injured in a suicide bomb attack on Monday, near a religious rally at Quetta city in Pakistan.
The explosion went off close to an event organized by Ahle Sunnat Wal Jammat (ASWJ) – a political party with alleged links to a sectarian armed group.
According to witnesses the bomber arrived on a motorcycle and was stopped by police at the barricade surrounding the event. A struggle ensued and the cops were seen pushing the man to the ground in a bid to stop him. At that point, he detonated himself setting off an explosion that killed at least two police men who handled him and others around.
The ASWJ, a far-right Sunni Muslim political party, has long called for declaring Shia Muslims – who form 20 percent of Pak population – as “Non-Muslims” under Pakistani law.
The party reportedly has links with Lashkar-e-Jahngvi (LeJ) armed group that targets Shia Muslims across Pakistan and particularly in Quetta.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
