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| Suicide Bomber Kills Dozens at Pakistani Hospital in Quetta | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A suicide bomber struck a hospital in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Monday, officials said, killing at least 74 people in another devastating attack on civilians in a city that has become a byword for massacre and struggle over the past decade. | ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A suicide bomber struck a hospital in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Monday, officials said, killing at least 74 people in another devastating attack on civilians in a city that has become a byword for massacre and struggle over the past decade. |
| Before the bomber attacked, dozens of lawyers had gathered at the hospital to condemn the shooting death of a prominent colleague early on Monday, officials said. They feared that the death toll would rise further, given the vast crowd of people seriously wounded in the attack. | Before the bomber attacked, dozens of lawyers had gathered at the hospital to condemn the shooting death of a prominent colleague early on Monday, officials said. They feared that the death toll would rise further, given the vast crowd of people seriously wounded in the attack. |
| Late Monday evening, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for both attacks. “Our attacks will continue till the imposition of the Islamic system in the country,” the statement of responsibility read. | |
| The bombing was also claimed by the regional branch of the Islamic State, according to the Amaq news agency, which is affiliated with the militant group. If confirmed, that would be a first for the group in Pakistan — though the claim may be related to the fact that in the past, the Jamaat-ul Ahrar splinter group has expressed support for the Islamic State. | |
| Even as militant attacks have been down sharply across Pakistan as a whole in the past two years, Baluchistan Province, where Quetta is the main city, remains a violent place apart. | Even as militant attacks have been down sharply across Pakistan as a whole in the past two years, Baluchistan Province, where Quetta is the main city, remains a violent place apart. |
| For more than a decade, Baluchistan, a rugged and resource- rich province bordering Afghanistan and Iran, has been wracked by a separatist war, ethnic and sectarian violence, and militant intrigue. Those fault lines come to a point within Quetta, a city of more than a million. | |
| Quetta’s Hazara minority, which is mostly Shiite, has been targeted over and over by Sunni extremist groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Political tensions between ethnic Pashtun and Baluch leaders have been another source of conflict. As well, the Afghan Taliban’s leadership is based in Quetta, and infighting, militant-driven assassinations and kidnappings have scarred the city. | Quetta’s Hazara minority, which is mostly Shiite, has been targeted over and over by Sunni extremist groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Political tensions between ethnic Pashtun and Baluch leaders have been another source of conflict. As well, the Afghan Taliban’s leadership is based in Quetta, and infighting, militant-driven assassinations and kidnappings have scarred the city. |
| At the same time, Baluchistan is one of the most forbidding environments for journalists. Foreign reporters are routinely barred from visiting, and local journalists in the province have been killed or intimidated in great numbers, according to human rights groups. | At the same time, Baluchistan is one of the most forbidding environments for journalists. Foreign reporters are routinely barred from visiting, and local journalists in the province have been killed or intimidated in great numbers, according to human rights groups. |
| The bombing on Monday came hours after the president of the Baluchistan Bar Association, Bilal Anwar Kasi, was gunned down by unknown attackers. Local news reports said that he was killed by men on a motorcycle as he was on his way to court. As the news of Mr. Kasi’s death spread through Quetta, dozens of lawyers went to Civil Hospital, where his body had been taken for an autopsy. | The bombing on Monday came hours after the president of the Baluchistan Bar Association, Bilal Anwar Kasi, was gunned down by unknown attackers. Local news reports said that he was killed by men on a motorcycle as he was on his way to court. As the news of Mr. Kasi’s death spread through Quetta, dozens of lawyers went to Civil Hospital, where his body had been taken for an autopsy. |
| As they protested the killing, a powerful blast ripped through the entrance to the hospital’s emergency wing. Television footage showed scores of lawyers running for cover as gunfire echoed in the background. | As they protested the killing, a powerful blast ripped through the entrance to the hospital’s emergency wing. Television footage showed scores of lawyers running for cover as gunfire echoed in the background. |
| Some lawyers could be seen pushing a stretcher bearing a wounded colleague, as others urged them to safety. “Get inside! Get inside!” one lawyer could be heard saying, waving, as others rushed into the hospital building. Two cameramen working for local news networks were among those killed. | Some lawyers could be seen pushing a stretcher bearing a wounded colleague, as others urged them to safety. “Get inside! Get inside!” one lawyer could be heard saying, waving, as others rushed into the hospital building. Two cameramen working for local news networks were among those killed. |
| The bombing left a trail of destruction. The charred bodies of victims lay in pools of blood. Several vehicles parked nearby were damaged, and windows of buildings were shattered. | The bombing left a trail of destruction. The charred bodies of victims lay in pools of blood. Several vehicles parked nearby were damaged, and windows of buildings were shattered. |
| One witness, Hajji Abdul Haq, who survived the bombing with minor injuries, said in a telephone interview that he was standing outside the hospital entrance with other lawyers, waiting to receive the body of their slain colleague. | One witness, Hajji Abdul Haq, who survived the bombing with minor injuries, said in a telephone interview that he was standing outside the hospital entrance with other lawyers, waiting to receive the body of their slain colleague. |
| “I was in the second row. Senior lawyers were in the first row,” Mr. Haq said. “Suddenly, there was a deafening explosion.” Rescue workers pulled Mr. Haq from under a pile of bodies. “I lost my hearing for almost an hour after the blast,” he said. | “I was in the second row. Senior lawyers were in the first row,” Mr. Haq said. “Suddenly, there was a deafening explosion.” Rescue workers pulled Mr. Haq from under a pile of bodies. “I lost my hearing for almost an hour after the blast,” he said. |
| Mr. Haq said the suicide bomber was dressed in the traditional “lawyers’ uniform” of Pakistan — a black suit and black tie. The bomb went off right as the attacker moved toward the center of the crowd. | Mr. Haq said the suicide bomber was dressed in the traditional “lawyers’ uniform” of Pakistan — a black suit and black tie. The bomb went off right as the attacker moved toward the center of the crowd. |
| Acme Roger, a cameraman for GEO TV, told his network in an interview that he was inside the hospital when he heard a loud explosion outside. “Smoke spread quickly and one could hear loud screams,” Mr. Roger said. “When we got out of the building, there were dead bodies everywhere and people were shouting and screaming, trying to find their loved ones.” | Acme Roger, a cameraman for GEO TV, told his network in an interview that he was inside the hospital when he heard a loud explosion outside. “Smoke spread quickly and one could hear loud screams,” Mr. Roger said. “When we got out of the building, there were dead bodies everywhere and people were shouting and screaming, trying to find their loved ones.” |
| Sam Zarifi, the Asia director of the International Commission of Jurists, said in a statement, “This attack targeted mostly lawyers and intellectuals (many of them from the Pashtun community) who had gathered at the hospital to mourn the loss of one of their own. | Sam Zarifi, the Asia director of the International Commission of Jurists, said in a statement, “This attack targeted mostly lawyers and intellectuals (many of them from the Pashtun community) who had gathered at the hospital to mourn the loss of one of their own. |
| “As such, it constituted a serious loss for the legal community and increases existing pressure on the independence of the bar.” | “As such, it constituted a serious loss for the legal community and increases existing pressure on the independence of the bar.” |
| Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the bombing on Monday, urging the law enforcement authorities to improve security in Quetta. “No one will be allowed to disturb the peace in the province that has been restored thanks to the countless sacrifices by the security forces, police and the people of Baluchistan,” he said in a statement. | Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the bombing on Monday, urging the law enforcement authorities to improve security in Quetta. “No one will be allowed to disturb the peace in the province that has been restored thanks to the countless sacrifices by the security forces, police and the people of Baluchistan,” he said in a statement. |
| By the afternoon, Gen. Raheel Sharif, the Pakistani Army chief, had reached the city to visit victims and express solidarity. General Sharif then led a meeting of senior security officials, according to Lt. Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa, the army spokesman. | By the afternoon, Gen. Raheel Sharif, the Pakistani Army chief, had reached the city to visit victims and express solidarity. General Sharif then led a meeting of senior security officials, according to Lt. Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa, the army spokesman. |
| General Bajwa, in a message posted on Twitter, claimed that the attack was “an attempt to undermine the improved security” in Baluchistan, specifically targeting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a multibillion-dollar endeavor by both countries that includes infrastructure networks and energy projects. | General Bajwa, in a message posted on Twitter, claimed that the attack was “an attempt to undermine the improved security” in Baluchistan, specifically targeting the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a multibillion-dollar endeavor by both countries that includes infrastructure networks and energy projects. |
| Soon after, Prime Minister Sharif also reached Quetta and along with General Sharif visited the wounded at a military hospital. | Soon after, Prime Minister Sharif also reached Quetta and along with General Sharif visited the wounded at a military hospital. |
| A spokesman for Baluchistan’s government, Anwar ul-Haq Kakar, said that the perpetrators would soon be brought to justice. “This is indeed a highly condemnable act, but such cowardly acts cannot shake our resolve of eradicating the menace of terrorism,” he said by telephone. | A spokesman for Baluchistan’s government, Anwar ul-Haq Kakar, said that the perpetrators would soon be brought to justice. “This is indeed a highly condemnable act, but such cowardly acts cannot shake our resolve of eradicating the menace of terrorism,” he said by telephone. |
| The Pakistani Bar Association said lawyers across the country would hold a three-day strike in all courts and spend a week in mourning. | The Pakistani Bar Association said lawyers across the country would hold a three-day strike in all courts and spend a week in mourning. |