America News Agency

On Tuesday night, while hundreds of members of the Balochistan National Party (BNP) gathered for a rally at a stadium in Quetta, the troubled capital of Balochistan province, a bomb exploded in the parking lot.

Provincial authorities announced on Wednesday that the death toll had risen to 15. The militant group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

Balochistan, located on the border with Afghanistan and Iran, is the country’s largest and poorest region. Its residents are regularly subjected to deadly attacks by Islamic State and separatist groups.

According to Pakistan’s Geo News network, Balochistan Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar said that the suicide bomber could not reach the rally site due to strict security measures.

Government official Hamza Shafqaat told reporters that if the explosion had occurred inside the rally area, the damage would have been much greater. According to Geo News, Shafqaat also stated that the government had deployed 120 police officers for security at the rally.

Tuesday night’s rally was organized in memory of Ataullah Mengal, a former Balochistan prime minister who died in 2021.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack on the BNP rally, calling it “evidence of a vile conspiracy by terrorists to spread chaos in Balochistan.”

Various militant groups operate in Balochistan, continuously threatening the safety of local residents.

In February 2024, Islamic State claimed responsibility for bomb attacks on election offices in Balochistan a day before parliamentary elections. The attacks killed more than 20 people and injured dozens.