30 Afghan refugees among 84 killed in Quetta blast

According to Afghan consulate officials in Quetta city of Pakistan at least 30 Afghan refugees were among those killed following a deadly bomb blast in Baluchistan province.

The officials further added around 20 other Afghan refugees were also injured following the blast and there are fears that death toll of the Afghan refugees will rise.

In the meantime local security officials in Quetta city said the death toll of last evening’s blast has increased to 84 people.

On Saturday, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), regarded as the most ruthless Sunni sectarian group, claimed responsibility for the attack in Quetta, which deepened suspicions among Shias that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies were turning a blind eye to the bloodshed or even supporting extremists.

“The terrorist attack on the Hazara [an ethnic minority almost entirely belonging to the Shia sect of Islam] community in Quetta is a failure of the intelligence and security forces,” Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi, governor of Baluchistan province, said while touring a hospital.

Leaders of the Hazara community called on the government to take decisive action, and Pakistanis warned that sectarian violence was spiralling out of control.

A similar protest in January – following serial blasts in Quetta targeting the Hazara Shias – saw the federal government dismiss the provincial government and declare Governor’s Rule in Balochistan.

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