Pak panel seeks report on action against terrorists as IS claims attack

KARACHI:A Pakistani senate panel on Saturday sought a report from the interior ministry on the action taken against terrorists and banned outfits involved in the killing of Hazaras, a day after an Islamic State (IS) blast targeting the minority community killed 21 people in Balochistan.

A meeting of the senate standing committee on interior took serious notice of the two deadly terror attacks in Balochistan province on Friday.

In the first attack, an IS terrorist attacked the Hazarganj fruits and vegetable market in the provincial capital Quetta, killing 21 people and injuring 60 others, mostly Hazaras.

Those killed included 10 members of the Hazara community, two children and security personnel.

In the second attack in the evening in Chaman city, two civilians were killed and 10 others injured when militants planted an IED on a motorcycle parked on Mall Road. The blast occurred when a Frontier Corps (FC) vehicle carrying troops was passing through.

The IS on Saturday released a photograph of the suicide attacker along with his name and said the attack targeted Shia Muslims, according to the Site Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadist activities.

“The Islamic State’s Khorasan Province (ISKP) claimed killing and wounding 70 Hazara Shias and Pakistani soldiers in a suicide bombing in Quetta,” it said.

The Pakistani officials have repeatedly denied the presence of the IS in the country. PTI