At least 11 people, including a top religious leader and politician, were injured in a bomb attack in the Mastung district of Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Thursday, police said.
The bomb attack is suspected to have targeted the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader, Hafiz Hamdullah, who along with other party workers including his bodyguards were travelling from Quetta to Kalat in a coaster when the blast took place near Mastung town.
JUI-F spokesperson Aslam Ghauri said that Hamdullah was injured but not critically.
Local administration officials said it was not clear whether it was a suicide attack or a planted bomb blast.
Mastung Assistant Commissioner Ataullah Memon confirmed that 11 people were injured and were shifted to Quetta for medical treatment.
Balochistan Interim Home Minister Zubair Jamali said JUI (F) leaders have also been targeted in the past in Balochistan by separatist groups and militants.
A senior police official said they suspected the involvement of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) in the attack.
The ISKP in the past has targeted JUI (F) leaders because of their close ties to the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Hafiz Hamdullah has been a controversial and conservative Islamist figure in Pakistan politics.
He has caused controversies with his statements on women's rights, and freedom of speech and has also used abusive language against a female anchor and analyst on national television.
Published 14 September 2023, 14:12 IST