US, Saudi Arabia deplore suicide attacks on political candidates in Pakistan
US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said these attacks are cowardly attempts.
MASTUNG (Web Desk) – United States has strongly condemned suicide attacks on political candidates and their supporters in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
In a statement in Washington, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said these attacks are cowardly attempts to deprive people of their democratic rights.
The spokesperson said Washington will continue to stand with the people of Pakistan in their fight against terrorism.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has strongly condemned suicide attacks in Mastung and Bannu.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated Kingdom stance and solidarity with Islamic Republic of Pakistan against terrorism and extremism.
It is to be mentioned here that on Friday, a suicide blast ripped through a crowd at a political rally in Mastung and claimed lives of 129 people. Authorities said the suicide bomber detonated in the middle of a compound where the political meeting was taking place.
Survivors in blood-smeared clothes were taken to hospitals in Mastung and nearby Quetta, where they were greeted by tense crowds of mourners. The deceased could be seen covered in shrouds.
It came hours after four people were killed and 39 injured when a bomb hidden inside a motorcycle detonated close to another politician’s convoy in Bannu on Friday, near the border with Afghanistan.
The politician -- Akram Khan Durrani, a candidate of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) party -- survived, police said. No group has yet claimed responsibility for that attack.
On Tuesday, a bomb claimed by the Taliban targeted a rally by the Awami National Party (ANP) in the city of Peshawar.
Local ANP leader Haroon Bilour was among the 22 killed. Thousands flocked to his funeral the next day.
