TNI Bureau: The death toll in four deadly blasts in Pakistan rose to 116. The serial blasts rocked the country claiming hundreds of lives on Thursday. The strikes were targeted at Shiites and soldiers in Quetta, capital of the Baluchistan province, and worshippers at a Sunni mosque in the northwest Swat district.
Initial reports put the death toll from the attack at 86. The bomb was first exploded in Quetta, bordering Afghanistan and Iran, at around 3.50 pm. It was targeted at the check post of the paramilitary force Frontier Corps in Bacha Khan area where 12 people were killed.
It was a deadly blast as the bomb was planted under a chassis of a vehicle parked near the check post. The explosion caused heavy damages to vehicles, shops, offices and homes. The ground was 2-ft deep and 8-ft wide due to the blast.
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Two hours later, another blast was reported in Mingora town of Swat in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where hundreds of people had gathered inside the preaching centre. The bomb was planted in the basement of the centre that left 22 people dead. Three hours later, deadly twin blasts rocked Quetta again a snooker club on Alamdar Road around 8.50pm. It was a suicide bomber, who used six to seven kg of explosives to kill lives of many.
When police reached the spot, another bomb was exploded near the area where 81 people were killed. Police said that an estimated 100 kg of explosives were used in the second blast.
Media reports said that Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, an extremist Sunni Muslim group, was behind the blasts.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf strongly condemned the attack and directed the authorities to give best treatment to the victims. On the other hand, the provincial government of Balochistan has announced three-day mourning for the victims. The government has also announced a compensation of Rs 2 million each for the killed policemen and Rs.1 million ($10,150) each for the victims’ families.