A tragic incident unfolded in Mastung, a district in Balochistan province, Pakistan, as a powerful bomb attached to a motorcycle detonated near a vehicle carrying police officers assigned to protect polio workers. The explosion resulted in the loss of nine lives, including five children, and left 17 others wounded.
The attack took place while a motorized rickshaw carrying schoolchildren was in close proximity, leading to the deaths of five children, a police officer, and two passersby. The wounded were swiftly transported to a hospital in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, where seven individuals succumbed to their injuries on the spot, with two more men passing away later due to critical wounds.
Although no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, suspicions point towards separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, which have intensified assaults on security forces and civilians in recent months.
The assault occurred as a police van was en route to a health center to escort polio workers for a vaccination campaign aimed at inoculating 45 million children under 5 years old. This initiative was launched following a surge in new polio cases, with Pakistan recording 41 cases across 71 districts so far this year.
This tragic event follows a recent attack on a health center in the northwestern district of Orakzai during the ongoing anti-polio campaign, resulting in a shootout that claimed the lives of two policemen and three attackers.
Militants in Pakistan frequently target police and health workers during polio vaccination drives, alleging that the campaigns are part of a Western conspiracy to sterilize children. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where polio transmission has never been halted.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the bombing, reaffirming their commitment to eradicating insurgents from the country. Balochistan has been plagued by a prolonged insurgency, with various separatist groups, including the Baloch Liberation Army, carrying out attacks primarily against security forces.
The BLA, known for its demands for independence from the central government, has also targeted foreigners. In a recent incident, the group claimed responsibility for a bombing outside an airport in Karachi that killed two Chinese workers and injured eight individuals.
China, a key player in Pakistan's infrastructure development through the Belt and Road Initiative, has urged Pakistan to enhance security for its nationals working on projects in the country. The call for action against insurgents responsible for attacks on Chinese workers was made during a seminar by China's ambassador to Pakistan.
Pakistan's commitment to ensuring the safety of Chinese nationals, projects, and institutions was reiterated by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, countering the ambassador's remarks. The government has implemented security protocols, including the use of bomb/bullet-proof vehicles for transportation and airport transfers of Chinese guests.
