Pindi bomb kills 24, injures over 100

Baloch rebels say they did it, govt says not

• Police says five kilogrammes of explosives used in blast which left two-foot deep crater in crowded Sabzi Mandi
• United Baloch Army claims responsibility of incident, Interior Ministry says it was someone else’s job

At least 24 people were killed and over 100 others injured in a powerful explosion at the fruit and vegetable market in the capital on Wednesday.

The bombing was claimed by previously unknown United Baloch Army (UBA), which had also claimed the train bombing in Sibi in which at least 17 people were killed on Tuesday. However, the Interior Ministry has laughed away the UBA’s claim, saying the attack was carried out by someone else although they were not sure about it yet.

According to the police officials, explosives were planted in fruit crates at the Sabzi Mandi in Sector I-11 near Pir Wadhai, Rawalpindi. The bomb went off as morning shoppers were buying supplies at the market.

Talking to journalists, acting Islamabad Inspector General (IG) Khalid Khattak said that there was no prior information about the attack from intelligence sources. He said that hundreds of trucks carrying vegetables and fruits arrive at the Sabzi Mandi everyday and it was not possible for the police to check each and every truck.

The IG said that four to five kilogrammes of explosive material was used in the blast which left a two-foot crater at the site and littered the area with body parts. The explosives were reportedly planted in a crate of fruit, he added. He said that initial enquiry has been kicked off into the incident and evidence had been collected from the blast site where 1,500 to 2,000 people, mostly grocers and sellers, were present.

The bodies and the injured were shifted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and other hospitals in Rawalpindi where an emergency was immediately declared. The spokesperson of the hospital said that some of the injured were in critical condition.

PIMS Vice Chancellor Prof Javed Akram said that as many as 31 people were still under treatment at the hospital and that most of the wounded were adult men. According to rescue sources, 13 vehicles were damaged in the explosion.

According to local traders, there had been several bomb blasts and firing incidents in the fruit and vegetable market in the last two years. They said that despite their repeated demands, adequate security had not been provided in the market where people from all over Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, FATA and Punjab come for sale and purchase of fruits and vegetables.

SUSPECTS ARRESTED:

Meanwhile, the police claimed to have arrested a suspect from the Sabzi Mandi minutes after the bomb blast.

Moreover, the police have also arrested the owner and the son of the goods transport company in Sheikhupura from where the guava crates were dispatched for Islamabad’s Sabzi Mandi.

The police are also seeking detailed information about owners of nine guava plantations, including Baba Ali, Muhammad Hanif, Muhammad Tufail, Rang Elahi, Muhammad Siddiqui, Shahbaz, Sajid, Muhammad Asif, Wakeel Ahmad and others.

WHO’S RESPONSIBLE?

Although the United Baloch Army has claimed responsibility for the attack, the Interior Ministry believes the previously unknown Baloch outfit is making a false claim.

Speaking to media representatives over telephone, UBA’s purported spokesman Mureed Baloch said the rebel group had carried out the attack in retaliation to the military’s ongoing operation in Balochistan’s Kalat district.

Commenting on the UBA claim, an Interior Ministry spokesman said that initial investigations have revealed that someone else was involved in the attack. While terming UBA’s confession as “laughable”, the spokesman expressed the government’s resolve in arresting the culprits.