Mastung blast: Balochistan govt vows to crush terrorist groups

QUETTA: Following a deadly suicide attack in Mastung, Caretaker Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai on Sunday said that the provincial government would crush the terrorist groups with ‘full force’, ARY News reported.

“Enough is enough. We will not wait for terrorists to come and attack … now we will go after them,” the caretaker minister said while addressing a press conference in Quetta today.

Responding to a question, Jan Achakzai said that an investigation into Mastung blast was underway and he could not share details of it. However, he vowed, that the government and law enforcement agencies would crush the terrorist groups with ‘full force’.

Speaking of the Mastung blast, the minister noted that forensic department of Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) was carrying out an investigation.

“Suicide bomber was between 15 to 17-year-old boy,” he claimed, adding that the teams have recovered some organs of the suicide bomber – which according to the minister has been sent to Lahore for forensic.

Meanwhile, Achakzai also announced that the families of the martyrs would be provided financial assistance. Detailing the financial package, he said every martyr’s family would be given Rs1.5 million, Rs0.5m would be distributed to the critically injured and Rs0.2m to the nominally injured by the provincial government.

He further said that the Balochistan government was also in talks with the Centre to improve the package.

The caretaker minister also said that security protocols were being revisited in the wake of the incident and any loopholes would be plugged to ensure no security lapse occurs.

The statement came a day after the country was rocked by two suicide blasts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s (KP) Hangu District and Balochistan’s Mustang, which caused several casualties and left many others injured.

At least 55 people including a cop died and 100 others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber targeted an Eid-Milad-un-Nabi (PBUH) procession in the remote district of Mastung, Balochistan.

Meanwhile, another suicide blast ripped through a mosque in KP’s Hangu, leaving five dead — including a policeman — and 12 injured.