Suicide explosion in southwestern Pakistan leaves at least 52 dead and more than 50 injured

QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) – A suicide bomb attack in Pakistan killed at least 52 people and wounded more than 50 on Friday at a religious gathering to mark the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday in a restive province bordering Afghanistan. health officials and police said. .

No group has claimed responsibility for the explosion, which comes amid a rise in attacks by militant groups in western Pakistan, raising risks for security forces ahead of national elections scheduled for January next year.

“The attacker detonated himself near the vehicle of the deputy superintendent of police,” deputy inspector general of police Munir Ahmed told Reuters.

The explosion occurred near a mosque in Balochistan province, where people were gathering for a procession to mark Muhammad’s birthday, which is a public holiday, Ahmed added.

At least 58 people were injured, district health officer Abdul Rasheed said, adding that the toll could rise as many people were in serious condition.

Pakistan has seen a resurgence in attacks by Islamist militants since last year, when a ceasefire between the government and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella organization for several hardline Sunni Islamist groups, broke down.

The TTP denied carrying out Friday’s attack.

Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti called the attack a “very heinous act.”

In July, more than 40 people died in a suicide bombing in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at a meeting of a religious political party.

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