Five children among nine killed in bombing targeting police assigned for polio drive in Pakistan

A member of a bomb disposal squad and a police officer survey the crime scene after a blast in Mastung, Pakistan, on November 1, 2024. Photo courtesy: Reuters

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on police, but suspicion is likely to fall on separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months.

A powerful bomb fitted to a motorcycle exploded near a vehicle carrying police officers deployed to protect polio workers in restive southwest Pakistan on Friday (November 1, 2024), killing five children nearby, officials said. Including nine people died and 17 others were injured.

Local police chief Fateh Mohammad said the attack took place in Mastung, a district in Balochistan province. He said a motorized rickshaw carrying school children was nearby when the bombing occurred, resulting in the deaths of five children, a police officer and two passers-by.

Some of the injured were taken to a hospital in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, said health department spokesman Wasim Baig. He said seven people died on the spot, while two who were seriously injured died in hospital.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on police, but suspicion is likely to fall on separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months.

Rehmat Ullah, the police chief in Mastung, said a police van was attacked when it was carrying polio workers for a door-to-door campaign that began on Monday to vaccinate 45 million children under 5 years of age. Was heading towards a health centre. Surge in new cases.

So far this year, 41 cases of polio have been recorded in 71 districts in Pakistan.

The latest attack came days after militants attacked a health center being used in an anti-polio campaign in the northwestern district of Orakzai, leading to a shootout that left two policemen dead. Three attackers were also killed in the firing.

Militants in Pakistan often target police and health workers during campaigns against polio, claiming that the vaccination campaign is a Western plot to sterilize children. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the spread of polio has never stopped.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti both condemned the bombing and vowed to continue the war against the insurgents until they are eliminated from the country.

Attack ‘unacceptable’

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the attack, calling it “unacceptable” and urging the government to investigate and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice and held accountable, UN spokesperson Stephen Dujarric said.

Balochistan is the site of a long-running insurgency, with a range of separatist groups primarily carrying out attacks on security forces. Groups including the Baloch Liberation Army demand independence from the central government.

BLA has also attacked foreigners. Last month, it claimed responsibility for a bomb blast targeting Chinese citizens outside an airport in the southern city of Karachi, killing two Chinese employees and injuring eight.

Thousands of Chinese workers are in Pakistan as part of Beijing’s billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative, which is building major infrastructure projects.

Beijing has often sought better security for its citizens in Pakistan.

China’s Ambassador to Pakistan Jiang Zedong at a seminar this week urged Pakistan to take action against the insurgents responsible for “unacceptable” attacks on Chinese working on projects related to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a huge package that includes road Includes construction, power plants and agriculture.

Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday expressed surprise at the ambassador’s remarks, saying Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, who attended the seminar, had said, “Pakistan will provide full security to Chinese nationals, projects and institutions in Pakistan.” Committed to doing.” , Our commitment has been conveyed at the most senior levels of the Chinese government.

He said Jiang’s statement was “surprising given positive diplomatic traditions”.

Awari, a Pakistani hotel chain, said the government has directed that transportation and airport transfers for Chinese guests should be arranged by the host or sponsor “via bomb/bullet-proof vehicle” with security protocols in place .