QUETTA/ISLAMABAD: Thousands of members of the Hazara Shia community that staged a sit-in in the Balochistan’s provincial capital Quetta despite freezing temperatures on Thursday to protest against the killing of Shia pilgrims in a bombing in Mastung district ended protest on late Thursday night.
On Tuesday evening, a bus carrying Shia pilgrims was coming from Iran to Quetta via Taftan but as reached in Dringhar area of troubled Mastung district, a powerful explosion occurred near the bus that left at least 29 persons killed and more than 50 injured. The banned militant outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility of the blast.
A large number of heirs of those killed in the blast placed dead bodies of their beloved ones at Alamdar road in Quetta and staged sit-in on Wednesday morning, vowing to continue their protests until authorities arrested the perpetrators of the attack.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch visited Alamdar road on Wednesday and expressed his concern over the Mastung incident. He held a long meeting with members of the community to end their protest.
The chief minister told the grief-stricken mourners that we are all victims of terrorism and I stand by you in this hour of grief.
Later talking to a private television channel, the Balochistan chief minister called upon the federal government to provide ferry service for pilgrims from Karachi to Chabahar in Iran. He said that ferry service would be safe and economical.
Meanwhile on Thursday, the protests were observed across the country including Karachi, Quetta, Lahore, Islamabad, and Hyderabad against the killing of Shia pilgrims in Mastung bombing.
