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Quetta under curfew after bloodbath
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Quetta– Quetta was under curfew after 47 people were killed and over 154 received bullet injuries when five suicide bombers armed with explosives and automatic weapons opened indiscriminate firing and detonated explosives on Ashura procession.This was followed by an exchange of heavy firing between mourners and police force on Tuesday.
Three of the attackers, one in wounded state were arrested.
The City Nazim Mohammad Rahim Kakar imposed curfew for indefinite period after the incidents of arson, riot and damage to private property by calling the army that took over the control of the City.
However,curfew was relaxed for two hours in some parts that were considered non-sensitive.
Over 60 shops, two banks and a dozen vehicles includig two police vehicles and a market were burnt while in retaliation two houses belonging to Shia activists were looted and torched.
According to City Nazim Muharram procession was on its route through Sharey Liaquat when a single shot was fired from a window of a room of first floor of Baldia Plaza at Meeza Chowk followed by a medium explosion in the procession some 400 yards away from it.
Later, the participants got panicked which was followed by a stampede and firing from the participants and law enforcement agencies on the window from where fire was opened. However, the witnesses from the procession told that gun shot from a window indicates the launching of the terrorist attack on the mourners followed by three explosions. They say that intense firing was reported by the suicider bombers from the broken window of the room on Bano market and from the adjacent street.
Out of five suicide attackers, two blew themselves up while three, as police claimed were arrested including one in the wounded condition.
The body of one of the attackers was blown into pieces. His headless body was hanging for hours in the window from indiscriminate firing was made. One of the attackers who was named as Abdur Rahim a resident of Peshawar was arrested with serious wounds on his face and body and was immediately rushed to CMH.
Informed sources said that there were two attackers who belonged to Baloch area and Bugalzai tribe and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi. It said that the one Abdur Rahim who was arrested by the police on the suspicion of being terrorist was actually the watchman of the market.
According to sources, the alleged culprit in his preliminary statement told that he and his colleagues belonged to banned sectarian organisation Lashkar-i-Jhangvi and they rented the room of the first floor few days back. The wintnesses who visited the room say that the automatic weapon the police took into possession carried stickers of banned organisations and the empty cases fired on the mourners.
SSP Quetta Operation Abdul Ali Tareen told that around 30 suspects including three suicide attackers were arrested by the police and the owner of Bano Market from where the attack was launched was taken into custody for interrogation.
The eye witnesses from the Press say that the mourners were also seen with automatic weapons and pistols firing on the police and on the people in streets considering them the supporters of banned organisation.
The police and para-military forces were also seen retreating and started running away from the scene and remained defensive.
Later ,few hundreds mourners in various groups started damaging the shops and market, banks and vehicles before torching them. Some 60 shops were burnt on Prince Road and Sharey-i- Liaqat and MenConghi road.
The procession despite stampede continued and passed under the heavy escort of army through the specified route.
The injured were rushed to hospitals where a number of injured succumbed to their injuries.
The doctors of the hospitals confirmed the death of 47 people and injuries to 154. However, the members of Shia community claimed that 42 of the mourners were killed both in terrorist attack and police and Frontier Corps firing and over 150 others got injured.
Six policemen were reported to be killed by the firing of enraged mob of mourners.
Burial delayed: Shias have delayed the burial of most of the people killed in Tuesday’s attack on Ashura procession in Quetta to protest arrests of Shia youths, reported BBC on Wednesday.
About 15 people were detained in Quetta after reprisal attacks, although Shias later reportedly secured their release and set the funerals for Thursday (today).
Hundreds of Shia mourners gathered at a mosque in Quetta on Wednesday, wailing and beating their chests in mourning for those killed.
Leaders of the community said Shias had been arrested when they went to hospitals to donate blood.
“The Quetta incident has exposed the government’s claim of taking foolproof security measures in the country for the protection of mourners,” said Shia leader Tanveer ul-Kazim. “We are feeling insecure and unsafe,” he added.
The leaders met on late Wednesday night and agreed to bury the dead today.
They were preparing to present new demands to the authorities which they refused to specify although it is thought they include the transfer of some provincial and local officials.
SCHOOLS CLOSED: Authorities in Quetta also ordered schools and colleges to close for the rest of the week and advised residents to stay indoors.
Burials for most of the victims took place in the Shia-dominated east of Quetta around noon, residents said.
Mobs rampaging after Tuesday’s violence torched a dozen vehicles and some 70 shops, mostly belonging to followers of Sunni sect in Quetta’s main business district.
A group of some 150 people later set fire to two houses belonging to Shia activists, police said.
Shia political party, Islami Tehreek, declared three days of mourning over the Quetta killings.
Spokesman Sikandar Abbas Gilani accused authorities of a gross security failure.
‘This proves the government’s claim of providing foolproof security on Ashura was false,’ Gilani told AFP.
‘The Interior Minister (Faisal Saleh Hayat) must accept responsibility for the lapse and resign forthwith.’
Shia leaders demanded the immediate arrest of ‘terrorists.’
Shia political leader Agha Hamid Ali Mosawi also appealed to fellow Shias to remain calm.
MUSHARRAF ORDERS INQUIRY: President Pervez Musharraf condemned the violence as a ‘terrorist attack’ and ordered an inquiry.
The President directed the authorities to take all measures to ‘apprehend the culprits responsible for this heinous act,’ according to an official statement.
Musharraf reiterated his government’s ‘resolve to fight the scourge of terrorism, extremism and sectarianism and to rid the country of this menace.’
Information Minister Sheikh Rashid told PTV that Musharraf had ordered an investigation and promised cash assistance for victims’ relatives.
The Balochistan government also ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident.
Judicial commission CONSTITUTED: Chief Minister of Balochistan Jam Muhammad Yousuf has constituted a judicial commission to probe Quetta procession attack.
Talking to PTV, the Chief Minister condoled with the bereaved families and assured them all sorts of compensation. The Chief Minister vowed that those involved in the tragic incident would be taken to task.
He appealed to the people to remain calm and cooperate with the government.
CM grieved: Punjab Chief Minister, Ch Pervaiz Elahi, has expressed deep sense of shock over an incident of sectarianism in Mandi Bahauddin, which resulted in loss of two precious human lives and injuries to others. He also condoled with the bereaved families over tragic incident.
He also directed the concerned police officers to undertake investigation of the incident and bring the culprits to the justice besides urging the religious leaders to play their role in developing religious harmony as bulwark against sectarianism.
Faisal condemns killings: Meanwhile, Interior Minister Makhdoom Faisal Saleh Hayat on Wednesday strongly condemned the Tuesday’s dastardly terrorist attack in Quetta, which claimed dozens of precious lives, saying the misguided extremists want to create chaos in the country.
He said the government is aware of their designs and determined to continue its fight against extremism, sectarianism and terrorism. |
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