Balochistan blast: Pakistan minister blames India’s RAW for suicide blast; toll rises to 60

Pakistan interior minister Sarfaraz Bugti has blamed India's Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) intelligence agency for a suicide blast in Balochistan in which 60 people have died as per media reports.

Pakistani officials have long claimed that India sponsors violent groups in Pakistan - claims India has always denied.

Also read: Pakistan: Second suicide bombing reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, death toll surges to 57

According to Dawn report, “No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, however, the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan, denied its involvement".

The Pakistan daily also gave a chronological dataset to show how Pakistan has “witnessed an uptick in terror activities in recent months, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year.”

(Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channel. Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights! Click here!)

A suicide bomber on Friday targeted people gearing up for a procession related to Eid Miladun Nabi, near a mosque in the Mastung district in Balochistan.

Hours after the blast in Balochistan, a second attack took place at a mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Hangu city.

The incident took place within the parametres of Police Station Doaba during the Friday sermon.

The preliminary report of the incident has been submitted to the Balochistan caretaker Chief Minister Ali Mardan Khan Domki. The caretaker CM has also chaired a high-level session to review progress on the investigation into the Mastung suicide blast.

Earlier this month, at least 11 people, including Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Hafiz Hamdullah, were injured in a blast in the same district; a week prior to that, a security official was gunned down at a bus stand by unidentified men. In May this year, unidentified attackers targeted a polio vaccination team in the Killi Sour Karez area on the outskirts of Mastung.