Suicide bombers behind Mastung, Peshawar blasts identified
The suicide bomber behind the deadliest Mastung blast was identified as Hafiz Nawaz
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The suicide bombers involved in deadly Mastung and Peshawar explosions which left hundreds of people including political leaders dead and dozens others wounded have been identified on Thursday.
The suicide bomber behind the deadliest Mastung blast was identified as Hafiz Nawaz, a resident of Sindh’s Thatta area.
The identification of the bomber was made possible with his hand that was recovered from the bomb blast site.
On the other hand, the suicide bomber behind the Peshawar blast was identified as Haroon Balour, a resident of Hangu, while the search for his facilitators was underway.
Addressing a press conference pertaining to Mastung tragedy, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) DIG Aitzaz Goraya said that it was a suicide blast and the bomber was identified as Muhammad Nawaz.
He said that the father of the suicide bomber had also confirmed his son’s identity.
Earlier, hundreds of people including political leaders belonging to Awami National Party (ANP) leader Haroon Bilour and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Nawabzada Siraj Raisani were killing and dozens others wounded in wave of terrorist attacks with just days ahead of the 2018 general elections.
As campaigning steps up for general elections on July 25, bombings across Pakistan have stoked fears of more violence in the country of 208 million, where political rallies can draw tens of thousands of people.
Friday’s attack at a rally for the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) in Mastung was claimed by militant group Islamic State. Among the dead was the party’s provincial candidate, Siraj Raisani.
Until this week, Pakistan’s election campaign had been relatively peaceful, compared with frequent Pakistani Taliban attacks during the 2013 election, when 170 people were killed, figures from the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies show.
On Tuesday, a Pakistani Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up at a rally by the Awami National Party (ANP) in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 20 people.
Among the dead in Peshawar was ANP candidate Haroon Bilour, whose father, senior ANP leader Bashir Bilour, had himself been killed in a 2012 suicide bombing in the city.
