QUETTA/ISLAMABAD: Thousands of members of the Hazara Shia community continue to stage a sit-in in the Balochistan’s provincial capital Quetta despite freezing temperatures on Thursday to protest against the killing of Shia pilgrims in a bombing in Mastung district.
On Tuesday evening, a bus carrying Shia pilgrims was coming from Iran to Quetta via Taftan but as reached in Dringhar area of troubled Mastung district, a powerful explosion occurred near the bus that left at least 29 persons killed and more than 50 injured. The banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility of the blast.
A large number of heirs of those killed in the blast placed dead bodies of their beloved ones at Alamdar road in Quetta and staged sit-in on Wednesday morning, vowing to continue their protests until authorities arrested the perpetrators of the attack.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch visited Alamdar road on Wednesday and expressed his concern over the Mastung incident. He held a long meeting with members of the community to end their protest.
The chief minister told the grief-stricken mourners that we are all victims of terrorism and I stand by you in this hour of grief.
However, the protesters refused and opted to continue protest till concrete action of the regime against the miscreants.
Later talking to a private television channel, the Balochistan chief minister called upon the federal government to provide ferry service for pilgrims from Karachi to Chabahar in Iran. He said that ferry service would be safe and economical.
Meanwhile on Thursday, the protests were observed across the country including Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Islamabad, and Hyderabad against the killing of Shia pilgrims in Mastung bombing.
The Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) staged protests in-front of the Governor House in Lahore and in Faizabad area of the federal capital city. Moreover, members of civil society staged a vigil outside the Press Club in Islamabad.
In Karachi, Shia organisations also arranged protests at several locations of the city whereas the flow of traffic was blocked in Ancholi, Malir, Shah Faisal, Qayyumabad, Hino Chowk Flyover and Numaish Chowrangi areas.
The Chairman Private Schools Management Association in Karachi Sharaf uz Zaman announced that schools would remain closed on Thursday in those areas where roads were blocked.
