The Hindu : Front Page : Explosion at Balochistan shrine kills 39

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 21, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

Explosion at Balochistan shrine kills 39

By B. Mualidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MARCH 20. At least 39 persons were killed and several others injured in a powerful bomb explosion at a shrine in Balochistan province late on Saturday.

The bomb exploded during a memorial to a Sufi saint in the remote town of Fatahpur, 300 km from Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan. Thousands of worshippers had gathered at the site for the annual pilgrimage.

Authorities are investigating if the incident is connected to the violence that has plagued the province for several months now or as a result of sectarianism.

The police are investigating whether a suicide bomber was involved. The bomb could also have been targeted at the shrine's custodian,Sadiq Ali Shah, who escaped unhurt. Mr. Shah is involved in a dispute over the custody of the shrine. He survived an assassination attempt last year.

Other blasts

A second, unexploded bomb was found near the shrine shortly after the first device went off.

Elsewhere in the province, two explosions have been reported. However, there was no loss of life.

The latest explosions have occurred at a time when the Government and political parties are trying to cope with the tense situation arising out of the bloody clash between para-military forces and tribesmen in Dera Bugti and Sui towns on Thursday that resulted in the loss of 30 lives.

Balochistan has witnessed a sharp rise in incidents of violence, mostly directed at government installations and security forces. Self-proclaimed Baloch nationalists agitated over the alleged poor treatment of the province by the Federal Government are thought to be responsible.

Alarmed over Balochistan's deteriorating security situation, the Pakistan Government had offered to fly a delegation of political leaders along with local and foreign media representatives for a first hand account of the events leading to the violence on Thursday.

In view of the explosion and the overall law and order situation in the province, the trip has been postponed.

Indications are that the group would leave for Dera Bugti and Sui in the next few days.

Diplomatic circles and political observers here are puzzled over the unending cycle of violence in Balochistan. There is little understanding within the Government on the forces behind it.

`Foreign hand?'

At one stage the Government, including the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, had pointed at some "foreign hand" behind the trouble.

There is consensus within Pakistan that Baloch elements are unhappy over the perceived neglect of their province. At the same time, there are doubts about their organisational capabilities to take on the Government.

Some are convinced that forces opposed to the ambitious Gwadar deep sea port being constructed with Chinese help could instigate part of the violence in Balochistan.

In a related development, people were fleeing Dera Bugti, some 245 km south-east of Quetta, fearing more clashes between security forces and rebel tribesmen.

People started abandoning the town on Saturday following a warning to residents from the chief of the rebel tribe, Nawab Akbar Bugti, to care for their own safety. Mr. Bugti however has denied issuing any such warning.

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