A suicide bomber blew himself up at a railway station in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing at least 24 people, including soldiers and railway workers, and injuring about 50 others, officials said.
The attack took place while about 100 passengers were waiting for a train bound for the city of Rawalpindi from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, according to Hamza Shafqaat, a senior government official.
An independent group, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for the attack.
TV footage showed the stadium’s metal structure with its roof blown off and a destroyed tea shop. Luggage was everywhere.
Police said around a dozen soldiers and railway workers were among the dead at the station, while other seriously injured passengers died in hospital.
The station has a gate to check if anyone is carrying explosives – but there are many other ways to enter the station without such security.
When asked about security, Shafqaat told reporters that “it is usually very difficult to prevent such suicide attacks.”
Shahhid Nawaz, who is in charge of security at the Quetta station, said that the attacker had disguised himself as a person who was traveling with him and then detonated himself in the crowd.
The BLA claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement, saying the attacker was targeting soldiers at the railway station. This banned group has been rebelling for independence in Pakistan for a long time.
“When their people are arrested, they also attack with the intention of revenge,” said Muhammad Baloch, the head of police operations.
“We all have to fight this war. We are settling in. Our teams are there and trying to save as many lives as possible.”
PM condemns deadly attack
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the bombing in a statement, saying those who planned the attack “will pay a heavy price for it,” and said the security forces were determined to eliminate “the menace of terrorism.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Afghanistan also condemned the bombing and expressed condolences to the families of the victims, as did the Russian Embassy in the capital Islamabad.
Saturday’s incident took place a little over a week after a powerful bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded near a car carrying police officers assigned to protect the public health workers in the province, killing nine people, including five children nearby.
In August, the BLA attacked passenger buses, police and security forces across Balochistan, killing more than 50 people, most of them civilians.
Oil and mineral rich Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and most populous province. It is the home of the Baloch ethnic minority, whose members say they face discrimination and exploitation by the central government. Along with different groups, Islamic militias also operate in the province.
The BLA is focused on security forces and foreigners, especially Chinese nationals in Pakistan as part of Beijing’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which is working on major infrastructure projects. The group often demands that all Chinese-sponsored projects be stopped and that workers leave Pakistan to avoid further attacks.
Last month, the BLA claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that targeted a queue of Chinese people outside the Karachi airport, killing two. Beijing has asked Pakistan to ensure the safety of its citizens working in Balochistan and other parts of the country.
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