Thursday, the 10th of January 2013, was a catastrophic day for the country. Just as the sun made its way out of the clouds to enliven the grey skies gazing down upon the country for the past several days, carnages in Quetta and Swat filled the hearts of countrymen with gloom.
In Quetta, at least 81 people were killed in three massive bomb blasts on Thursday, while another 22 were killed in a bombing in Swat’s Mingora town.
The day also witnessed Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain launching his much touted political drone strike, wherein he said he was uselessly being blamed for being a British national when even the country’s founding father, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, had a British passport, a statement that invited mixed reactions.
Moreover, India continued with its aggressive stance in response to the alleged LoC violation by Pakistan Army the other day, raining artillery shells over the Tatta Pani sector and killing one Pakistani soldier. The Indian government also rejected proposals for an independent UN probe into the alleged killing and mutilation of bodies of two Indian soldiers by Pakistani troops in Uri sector.
Meanwhile, the country’s financial hub Karachi saw no respite in violence as seven labourers belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were gunned down by six unidentified assailants near Al-Asif Square.
103 killed in bloodbaths in Quetta, swat
Thursday became one of the deadliest days in the country’s history of fighting the war on terror as four bombings, three in Quetta and another in Swat, claimed at least 103 lives and left close to another 150 people injured.
Despite the butchery, no official of the Balochistan government commented or condemned the incidents nor did any minister visit the emergency-ridden hospitals in Quetta to enquire after the injured or oversee rescue operations.
The federal government had also not issued any statement until midnight. As if the 34 killings in bombings in Swat and on an FC checkpost in Quetta earlier in the afternoon were not saddening enough, two more bombings in Quetta later at night killed at least 69 people, including nine police officials, four rescue workers and two journalists, bringing a bloody end to the catastrophic day. The first of Thursday killings came in Quetta when a powerful bomb ripped through the Bacha Khan Chowk in the city, killing 12 people, including two children and an FC official, and injuring 40 others.
The target of the attack was a Frontier Corps checkpost. The blast caused maximum damage as the post was set up in a congested market area and the bomb struck during peak crowd hours.
Several vehicles, including one in use by FC personnel, nearby shops and food stalls were destroyed in the explosion. In Swat sometime later, at least 22 people were killed and more than 65 injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at a Tableeghi Markaz in Mingora.
The blast took place at around 5:20pm in the facility located on Takhta Band Road in Mingora.
Police and an Inter-Services Public Relations spokesman initially termed the explosion as a gas cylinder blast, but Tableeghi Markaz sources, locals and victims of the blast later said that it had in fact been a suicide attack.
“I think it was a suicide attack, I was there, but not in the hall. I saw a man jump into the people and a huge blast occurred,” Altaf, a student at the seminary told Pakistan Today.
The Swat DCO and DPO refused to talk to reporters until availability of details. “We will brief the media after completion of the initial probe into whether it was a cylinder blast or IED explosion,” the DPO said.
And just as TV channels were repeating footages of the two incidents and guessing their nature, news broke out of another bombing in Quetta some time later. The first of two blasts that hit Quetta at night was reported from Rehmatullah Chowk on Alamdar Road, while the second occurred on Airport Road, a nearby area, only minutes after the first.
Several media teams, rescue and law enforcement officials that had rushed to the site of the first explosion fell victim to the second blast.
There was no stopping the rising toll in the twin blasts. It was 10 initially, then 20, 30 and later 40. But that was not the end, with the tally stopping at 69 by the time this report was made at 1am.
The Quetta CCPO Mir Zubair told a press conference late at night that nine policemen had been killed in three bombings.
He said the first of the twin bombings was a suicide attack while the second was a car bombing.
Zubair vowed to continue all efforts to ensure safety of citizens of the city.
This is what the Taliban & Co./Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba/Mullah terrorists are doing to Shia and Sunni Muslims, Christians and ALL THOSE WHO ARE ANTI-TALIBAN and the ONLY REAL RESISTANCE in their attempts to take over Pakistan. The government, Army and the Judiciary are NOT READY, NOT WILLING and NOT CAPABLE of taking any action against these terrorists who have infiltrated their ranks and files. STILL DO NOT AGREE WITH ME THAT PAKISTAN IS GOING THROUGH A "MINI CIVIL-WAR" and Talibans are POISED TO TAKE OVER????? – Ali Mirza.
Grant Kiayani another extension and elect PPP for another term. Can't wait to hear Kiayani make another statement that Pakistan forces are ready and capable of defending the lives of Pakistanis. Whatever he's smoking, must be some good stuff.
Dont over-simply situation. bring another Zia ul Haq and Pakistan will be finished. Kiani or PPP did not bring up evil of Taliban and terrorism. It was Gen Zia and Gen Hamid Gul and Co. who bred this cancer into our body. Now it will be healed by a big surgical operation.
So far thousands of Shias in Pakistan and other countries have been killed by the Sunni-Wahabi (linked to Saudi Arabia-Kuwait) jihadis but surprisely no one from the Obama Administration, UN or other civilized nations are coming forward to condemned it and take action to stop it. Only because no one would like to displease oil kings. The Shia minority in almost all Muslim nations are being prejudiced and collectively killed for no reasons. It is time for the civilized world to stand up and take some decisive action to stop it.
This is rubbish & US theory. This Taliban has very few affiliations with Saudi wahabis & its not the shias that are the only target, its everyone, including their goats. You raise a voice & taliban are happy to pass a fatwa to kill you.
The real problem is the corrupt govt & army which continues to fail to do anything, they are busy looting while being protected by the poor & the US admin. The poor get their 'rooti' for one evening & go back happy, US admin gets its rooti for the next four years (human meat) and goes back happy.
Hats off for not only President Zardari, PM Raja & other seniors of PPP but leaders of other political parties as well including Ch Shujaat Hussain, Asfand Wali Yar, Achakzai, Dr Farooq Sattar for not visiting Quetta where more than 83 lost their lives in bomb blasts on 10th and instead they enjoyed sumptuous dinner hosted by Zaradri same evening at Bilawal House, Karachi. I wish it had been noticed and objected by others too. I am ashamed in my individual capacity for such inhuman behavior of those who are supposed to steer the country.
Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait / [email protected]
While IMF Pakistan drama and audit continue in Islamabad. There hasn't been a single comment from any of the politicians or religious groups/individuals. No mention of odious debts. Pakistan officials appear keen to accept the impoverishment being unleashed by IMF.
Beyond Treason.
IK chatters every day and night that this war is not our war. Can someone ask him – is this war is not our after the chain-of-incidents took place just yesterday, can anyone tell how many Nato/USA persons killed in these attacks and how many Pakistanis perished? IK wake-up, come out of sleep-mode and be part of this poor country.
Mr. Jinnah held a British Passport when the land now called Pakistan was ruled by Britain. Only natural then
What ISPR and agencies say about this horrific incidents occuring in our soil on daily basis??What is purpose left of this nuclear army and huge intelligence network ??
when daily basis only Pakistanis are killing by unknown people.100 causalities and mass damage proves that drones are doing very little collateral damage to Pakistan .This is GHQ allowance which made Raymond davis and black water like killers to freely expand their network.This is ISI that backed Wahhabi terrorism in deprived class and now they all enjoying safe life their cordoned barracks, luxurious living and making hell whole Pakistan.
Naseru babar, qazi hussain all would have surely get their hoor quota from their accounts in return of services what they have done for Pakistani Muslims which we are seeing on daily basis.
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