SEHWAN: Director General Health Services Dr Hassan Murad Shah on Saturday confirmed that the death toll from the Lal Shahbaz Qalandar attack had risen to 88 since Friday night.
According to an official list of casualties, which he shared with the media, 76 bodies were received and handled at the Shah Abdullah Institute of Medical Sciences, four at the People’s Medical University (PMH) Hospital in Shaheed Benazirabad, and eight at Chandka Medical University Hospital in Larkana.
The Sindh government will have the case investigated through Sindh police’s Counterterrorism Department (CTD), as was done in suicide bombings in Jacobabad during Ashura and at Shikarpur’s shrine, and then again last year in Shikarpur on the second day of Eidul Azha.
“There might be some handler or facilitator of the suicide bomber who must have provided him logistical support. Our initial assessment is that the suicide bomber must have been facilitated by three people,” he said.
Sehwan police lodged a case on Friday against one suicide bomber and three facilitators involved in the Feb 16 suicide bombing at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar.
The First Information Report for the case was lodged for crime no 16/2017 under Sections 302, 353, 324, 295, 120/B, 440, 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 3/4 of the Explosive Substance Act and 6/7 of the Anti Terrorism Act.
The authorities have not handed over unidentified remains of the victims, as police wanted to complete their DNA sampling investigation.
Some remains were still present on the premises of the shrine, “But these can’t be used for sampling so they will be disposed of accordingly,” said a police officer.
Speaking to media, Jamshoro SSP Tariq Wilayat admitted that there was a security lapse despite police presence in the shrine.
“There is security always present in this area. It was even present during the blast, which is why one of our police officers was martyred as well. However, it is obvious that there was some sort of lapse, and that lapse will be identified.”
