Pakistan Points Finger At India, Alleging Involvement In Friday's Twin Blasts

Pakistan on Saturday pointed fingers at India's Research & Analysis Wing (RAW), alleging its involvement in the two bomb explosions that occurred on Friday, resulting in the loss of 65 lives.

The explosion on Friday devastated a mosque in Mastung, situated in Balochistan, a southern province. The blast occurred when a bomber detonated explosives near a police vehicle, targeting the gathering of people preparing for a procession to commemorate the birthday of Prophet Mohammad. Hours later, another bomb blasted at a mosque in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Hangu city.

A total of 60 people died in the first bomb explosion, while five people lost their lives in the explosion inside the mosque in Hangu city, targeting a police station's mosque.

"Civil, military and all other institutions will jointly strike against the elements involved in the Mastung suicide bombing. RAW is involved in the suicide attack," India Today quoted Pakistan's Interior minister Sarfaraz Bugti in Balochistan's capital, Quetta, as saying.

However, no specifics or proof regarding the claimed engagement has been given by him. The Indian government is yet to respond to Pakistan's allegations.

Wasim Baig, the spokesperson for Balochistan's health department, noted an additional seven casualties who had passed away in the hospital since Friday, contributing to the increase in the death count. He further mentioned that several patients were still in critical condition.

It has to be noted that no group has taken responsibility for the bomb attacks till now.

Wasim Baig, the spokesperson for Quetta's Civil Hospital, where several of the injured were admitted, on Saturday said that the blast toll has now risen to 60.

On Saturday, the Dawn quoted a statement from the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) that said an FIR with murder charges and terrorism offences has been filed against an unidentified attacker.

"No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, however, the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in Pakistan, denied its involvement," the report added.

Meanwhile, the caretaker government of Balochistan announced three days of mourning in the wake of the attack.

A Pakistan daily has given a chronological dataset to show how Pakistan has "witnessed an uptick in terror activities in recent months, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, after the TTP ended its ceasefire with the government in November last year." Earlier this month, at least 11 people, including Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Hafiz Hamdullah, were injured in a blast in the same district; a week prior to that, a security official was gunned down at a bus stand by unidentified men, according to a PTI report.