According to police, two bombings in the Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan have killed at least 28 people and injured scores more.
The day before the polls, on Wednesday, there were two explosions. The political parties’ electoral offices in the unrest-plagued area were the target of the attacks.
The first explosion, which left sixteen people dead, happened at Asfandyar Khan Kakar’s independent campaign headquarters in Pishin district, close to the Afghan border, according to Jan Achakzai, the interim information minister for Balochistan. There were over 20 reported injuries.
According to him, an improvised explosive device fastened to a motorcycle caused the explosion.
The second explosion in Qilla Saifullah occurred next to a Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI) office, a religious organization that has faced threats in the past. According to Achakzai, the incident claimed the lives of at least 12 individuals and injured a number of others.
Late on Wednesday, the ISIL group declared that it was responsible for the explosions.
ISIS militants claimed in a message sent on the messaging app Telegram that they “blew up a motorbike” set up with explosives “at an election gathering” in the Pishin area. They also asserted accountability for the explosion in Qilla Saifullah.
Pakistan’s foreign office announced in a statement shortly after the twin bombings that, in order to maintain security until the election, Pakistan’s western border crossings with Iran and Afghanistan will be closed till Friday.
The bombings were denounced by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, according to Stephane Dujarric, his spokesperson.
A day before the elections, Dujarric declared, “We strongly condemn the horrific attacks and the bomb explosions that we saw earlier today that killed many, many people and injured many more, clearly related to the elections.”
Additionally, Jane Marriott, the British High Commissioner to Pakistan, expressed her “appallment at today’s terrorist attacks and condemnation of those who attempt to prevent people from voting.”
