Pakistan election: 29 killed, 40 injured after 2 terrorist attacks hit Balochistan, a day before polls

The two blasts were likely carried out by Islamic State Khorasan, or Isis-K, based on the patterns of previous attacks, an analyst says

Some politicians have called for the polls to be postponed, but the Election Commission of Pakistan says Thursday’s vote will go on

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The site of a bomb blast outside the office of an independent candidate in Pishin district, around 50km (30 miles) from Quetta on February 7, on the eve of Pakistan’s national elections. Photo: AFP

Published: 10:11pm, 7 Feb 2024Updated: 12:41am, 8 Feb 2024

Terrorists attacked two campaign offices in Pakistan’s restive western Balochistan province on Wednesday, a day before the country’s general election, killing 29 people and wounding 40 others.

Seventeen people died and 30 were wounded in the first attack, which took place shortly after noon local time when a suicide bomber struck the campaign office of Asfandyar Khan Kakar, a former minister and independent candidate for the provincial assembly constituency of Pishin, a district close to Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan.

The victims included six security personnel who were guarding the premises.

A second bombing in the nearby town of Qila Saifullah about an hour-and-a-half later targeted the campaign office of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), an orthodox Sunni Muslim religious party, claiming 12 more lives and wounding 10 people.

Security analyst Abdul Basit said the two attacks were likely carried out by Islamic State Khorasan (Isis-K), the Afghanistan-based offshoot of the Syria-based terrorist group, “based on the pattern of its previous attacks”.