Two explosions near offices of election candidates in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province killed 26 people and injured dozens, local authorities said on Wednesday, raising concerns about security on the eve of a general election.
Pakistan goes to the polls on Thursday (8) amid an increase in militant attacks in recent months and the arrest of Imran Khan, the winner of the last national election, who has dominated the headlines despite the economic crisis and other problems that threaten the country.
Authorities said they are beefing up security at voting booths.
The first attack, which killed 14 people, took place at the office of an independent election candidate in Pishin district.
The second explosion in Qilla Saifullah, a town near the Afghan border, was detonated near an office of the Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI), a religious party that has been the target of militant attacks, according to the provincial information minister.
Qila Saifullah deputy commissioner Yasir Bazai said 12 people were killed in the explosion, which came from a motorbike parked near the office, and 25 were injured.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks. Several groups, including the Pakistani Taliban (TTP) and separatist groups in Balochistan, oppose the Pakistani state and have carried out attacks in recent months.
Separately, a TTP spokesman claimed an attack on Monday killed 10 people at a police station in northwestern Pakistan. Although the TTP has said it targets police and security officials rather than election candidates, the attack has raised concerns about security in Pakistan's border regions as the country goes to the polls.
Khanzai hospital, near the site of the explosion in Pishin on Wednesday, put the death toll at 14 and said more than two dozen people were injured. Pishin district deputy commissioner Jumma Dad Khan said the explosion had injured many people.
The attacks occurred as political parties ended their campaigns in the silent period required by electoral rules the day before the election.
Source: CNN Brasil
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