Islamabad (AsiaNews/Agencies) - At least 23 died and 39 people were injured in the powerful explosion that hit a fruit and vegetables market in the suburbs of Islamabad this morning. The explosion took place as traders prepared their stalls, waiting for customers . The scene that presented itself to the rescuers was terrible, clothes soaked with blood and body parts scattered in a radius of tens of meters across the market area, located in the border area between Pakistan and the capital and twin city, Rawalpindi. According to preliminary reports, the bomb was placed inside a crate containing guava fruit .
Today's
attack follows another
bombing yesterday in Balochistan province in the south- west of the country,
carried out by separatist guerrillas, which resulted in 13 dead and dozens
wounded. Excluding
one episode of violence last month, experts point out that attacks have been rare
in the capital in recent months. Local
sources speak of " human body parts scattered everywhere." The
police sifted through all the crates of fruits and vegetables, to exclude the
presence of other devices . "The
whole area was covered in blood" said another trader.
Rawalpindi
is home to the headquarters of the powerful Pakistani army and in the past
there had been attacks close by, seen a warning to the soldiers engaged in the
war against the Taliban. However,
in this case, the explosion occurred in an area far from army buildings, as
such the real targets of the bombers remains unknown.
In
recent weeks, the Pakistani government has launched a series
of peace talks with the Taliban, in an attempt to break the spiral of
violence and terror that has battered the country in recent years. Bombs
and attacks that have targeted government buildings, military barracks, police
training centers, markets and places of worship, including churches and
mosques. The
Islamist guerrillas had announced a ceasefire, which should remain in place
until tomorrow, April 10. However,
there are dozens of the militant groups operating in the area and who are not
interested in an agreement with the central authorities . Moreover,
in the context of the negotiations, the Taliban are demanding the release of
hundreds of prisoners, the withdrawal of the army from tribal areas bordering
Afghanistan and the introduction of Islamic law (sharia).
With
a population of more than 180 million people (97 per cent Muslim), Pakistan is
the sixth most populous country in the world, the second largest Muslim nation
after Indonesia. About 80 per cent of Muslims are Sunni, whilst Shias are 20
per cent. Hindus are 1.85 per cent, followed by Christians (1.6 per cent) and
Sikhs (0.04 per cent). Violence against ethnic and religious minorities is
commonplace across the country, with Shia Muslims and Christians as the main
target, with things getting worse.