JACOBABAD, Pakistan: At least 25 persons including children were killed and more than 40 others wounded when a suicide blast occurred on Quetta road in Sindh’s Jacobabad district on Friday.
The sources said that the blast took place near Aqsa mosque located in Lashari Mohalla when a mourning procession was passing through the area. The blast caused a stampede in the procession, and fear and panic prevailed.
Follwoing the blast, the security was even more tightened all over the country particularly in Lahore where Zuljinnah procession came out of its tradtional place — Nisar Hawali and took around 18 hours to reach its destination Gamaishah Karbala in connection with 9th Muharram.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who is in United States condemned the blast in his statement and called Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif to take extra ordinary measures in Lahore. There were expectations that extra force would be called in Lahore tonight for next two days.
Involvement of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ) can not be ruled out in this blast.
The Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Jacobabad Malik Zafar Iqbal confirmed that a suicide bomber blew himself up during the procession.
Meanwhile, the security personnel deployed on the procession route cordoned off the area.
The rescue sources said that the injured were shifted to the Civil Hospital Jacobabad where an emergency had been declared.
President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Sindh Governor Dr Ishrat-ul Ebad strongly condemned the Jacobabad blast and expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of innocent lives.
I strongly condemn the bomb blast in Jacobabad and express my deepest grief on loss of precious lives.
— Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri (@TahirulQadri) October 23, 2015
The latest terror acts struck the southern part of the country when thousands of mourners were participating in 9th Muharram processions that took out from different parts of the country amid strict security arrangements in memory of Hazrat Imam Hussain (R.A).
Earlier on Thursday night, a suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Imambargah in Balochistan’s Bolan district that left at least 10 persons killed and more than 20 injured.
