8 people killed in Quetta blast targeting Hazara community: police
Syed Ali ShahUpdated April 12, 2019
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Rescue teams, police and Frontier Corps personnel have reached the site of the blast. ─ DawnNewsTV
At least eight people were killed and several others injured in a blast in Quetta's Hazarganji area on Friday morning.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema confirmed the death toll and told
DawnNewsTV that the blast was targeting members of the Hazara community.
Seven of those killed were members of the Hazara community, while one Frontier Corps soldier was martyred in the attack, DIG Cheema said.
Read more: Targeted killing of Hazaras
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Police fear the death toll may rise. The wounded are being shifted to Bolan Medical Complex for medical treatment, police sources said.
Rescue teams, police and Frontier Corps personnel have reached the site of the blast. The area has been cordoned off, and entry of outsiders to the spot has been restricted.
The Hazara community has been disproportionately targeted by sectarian violence as they are easily identifiable due to their distinctive physical appearance.
A report released by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) last year stated that 509 members of Hazara community were killed and 627 injured in various incidents of terrorism in Quetta from January 2012 to Dec 2017.
NCHR official Fazeela Alyani had earlier said that all these lives were lost in Quetta. According to the NCHR, targeted killings, suicide attacks, and bomb blasts have inflicted harm to daily life, education, and business activities of ethnic Hazara community members in Balochistan's largest city.
Alyani had also explained that the fear and intimidation forced Hazaras to migrate to foreign countries, while target killings forced Hazara students to abandon their studies.
Balochistan has seen at least three others blasts in different areas over the last month, with varying targets.
Four
policemen were targeted in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Quetta, while an IED blast
targeting a passenger train in Balochistan's Dera Murad Jamali killed four people.
At least two people were killed and 11 others injured in a
bomb blast in a Panjgur bazaar.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.