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Quetta: death toll from anti-Shia attack reaches 73

Yesterday’s suicide attack hit a pro-Palestinian rally that had attracted more than 2,500 people. Following the bombing, people set fire to stores in downtown Quetta. Sunni group called Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for this and previous attacks.
Islamabad (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The death toll from yesterday’s suicide attack against a pro-Palestine rally in Quetta has reached 73, with more than 160 people wounded. An estimated 2,500 people, mostly Shias, had come for the event. A local organisation called the Shiite Conference announced a 40-day period of mourning in the city.

In Quetta, thousands of Shia Muslims took to the streets yesterday to celebrate al-Quds Day, a pro-Palestinian event instituted by the Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1980s.

Around 3 pm (local time), a 22-year-old man identified as Rashid Moaawia blew himself up among the crowd, causing the bloodbath. Shias poured into the streets soon after, setting fire to stores.

Police are now patrolling the area.

This is the third attack against Shia Muslims in the last few days. Wednesday, 33 people died and more than 200 were injured in three attacks that occurred in the city of Lahore during a procession commemorating Ali, grandson of Muhammad, and chief spiritual figure in Shia Islam.

In both cases, a Sunni radical group called Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying that they were in retaliation for the killing of their leaders by Shia Muslims.

Meanwhile, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the bomb attacks, calling them “unacceptable”. He also expressed his solidarity to the victims.