BOMBS ripped through two separate political offices in south-western Pakistan today, killing at least 29 people and wounding more than two dozen, officials said, the day before the country was set to elect a new parliament.
The attacks in Baluchistan province, home to a low-level insurgency and various militant groups, raised concerns for the election.
Tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces have been deployed across the country following a recent surge in attacks, especially in Baluchistan. No-one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombings.
At least 17 people were killed in the first attack at independent candidate Asfandyar Khan’s election office in the Pashin district, said Jan Achakzai, spokesman for the provincial government. More than 20 were wounded, and police said some were in critical condition.
Shortly after, another bombing killed at least 12 people at the office of a leading radical Islamist party in Qilla Saifullah, about 80 miles away, Acahkzai and local authorities said. At least eight people were wounded.
The leaders of the Jamiat Ulema Islam party, which has close ties with Afghanistan’s Taliban, have been attacked by the Islamic State group and other militants in recent years.
Party president Fazlur Rehman and scores of candidates from the party are contesting the elections throughout the country.
Baluchistan, a gas-rich province on the border with Afghanistan and Iran, has been the scene of an insurgency for more than two decades by Baluch nationalists who are seeking independence.
The nationalists typically attack security forces, not civilian or political targets in the province. The outlawed Baluchistan Liberation Army has been behind multiple attacks on security forces, including one on January 30 that killed six people.
The Pakistani Taliban, along with other militant groups, also has a strong presence in Baluchistan and has targeted civilians in recent years, though the Pakistani Taliban pledged not to attack election rallies ahead of the vote.
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul-Haq-Kakar denounced the bombings and conveyed his condolences to the families of those who died. He vowed that “every attempt to sabotage the law and order situation will be thwarted” and said the government is committed to holding elections on Thursday in peace.
