30 injured in grenade attack on BAP’s election office in Pak

A hand grenade attack ripped through the election office of the Balochistan Awami Party in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, injuring at least 30 people, including five critically, the second major attack on the party ahead of general elections on Wednesday.

Party workers and supporters of Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) candidate Amanullah Notezai were sitting in the election office in Dalbandin area of Chaghi district when unidentified men riding a motorcycle attacked the office late last night with a hand grenade, the Express Tribune reported.

The grenade exploded inside the office, injuring 30 party workers and supporters, it said, adding that police reached the site and shifted the injured to a nearby hospital for medical aid.

“We’ve shifted five of the seriously injured to Quetta for treatment,” a senior police officer said.

The election office was destroyed by the grenade attack.

Security forces cordoned off the area and have now launched a search operation to find those involved as no one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

The security situation in Pakistan has deteriorated ahead of polls on July 25 with candidates being attacked frequently.

This is the second terror attack on the BAP in the province after the party suffered massive casualties on July 13 when a suicide bomber killed around 150 people and injured some 200 at a election meeting in Mastung district.

The suicide bomber also killed BAP candidate Nawab Siraj Raisani.

Yesterday, a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party, Ikramullah Gandapur was killed in a suicide bomb attack on his vehicle in Dera Ismail Khan.

Gandapur was targeted near his residence as he was going to a election corner meeting. (Agencies)