A suicide bomber killed over 47 believers of Sufi Saint Baba Shah Nurani (Noorani) in a remote district of Khuzdar, the capital city of Balochistan in Pakistan.
While talking to Dispatch News Desk (DND) news agency via telephone, a local resident, Azmatullah, confirmed that over 200 believers were present at the Shrine of Baba Shah Nurani when a suicide bomber detonated himself, killing at least 47 persons on the spot. “Since there is no hospital in the area to handle such [an] emergency, [the] number of dead can increase,” feared Azmatullah. The nearest hospital is at least 150 kilometers away from the shrine where the blast took place.
He said the blast took place when believers were busy celebrating a festival at Shrine.
Azmatullah said that believers were performing Dhamal – a Sufi ritual when the blast happened. He claimed that security agencies had information about a possible attack during this event and recovered an explosive today from two different places, but terrorists still managed to get their way and killed innocent people. Purist Islamists consider Dhamal as un-Islamic conduct, and terrorists who belong to this purist school of religion had been targeting such events in the past all over Pakistan. Terrorist groups, including the Taliban, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Daesh, all belong to the purist Islamic school of thought.
According to eye witnesses, a rescue operation is being conducted with a power generator for electricity, but it is not enough to find any injured persons.
The approach to this shrine is very difficult as it is situated on a hilltop. Rescue teams are facing difficulties bringing injured persons back to ground level and then on to hospitals.
Meanwhile, authorities claimed that 30 persons were killed and dozens were injured in a blast that took place on Saturday evening. Authorities maintained that dead bodies and injured persons have been shifted to the District hospital. Police officials claimed that the target of the attack was the area where believers would perform “Dhamal” – a trance-like dance.
Police sources claimed that security agencies had information that terrorists could attack this event of Dhamal because certain extremist groups had warned people in the area not to visit this Shrine and perform Dhamal.
A police official confirmed that the death toll is feared to rise as a large number of women and children were injured in the deadly blast that looked like a suicide bombing.
Television reports citing Dr. Hakeem Lassi of the Edhi Foundation also confirmed that women and children are injured in the blast.
The Shrine of Syed Sakhi Shah Bilawal Noorani is also known as Baba Hazrat Baba Shah Noorani and is the most famous in Baluchistan where believers come from all over the country. Hazrat Baba Shah Noorani came in this area around 500 years ago and lived his whole life on a hilltop far away from human settlement.
Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami has strongly condemned this attack although this is considered a purist Islamic religious party.
For the original article, visit dnd.com.pk
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