CHAMAN, Pakistan — At least six people were killed and another 14 wounded by
a bomb at a pro-Palestinian rally in a Pakistani city bordering Afghanistan on
Friday, officials said, the latest violence to hit the restive area.
اضافة اعلان
"It was an improvised explosive device which went off as participants
began to disperse," said Tariq Mengal, a senior local administration
official in Chaman, Balochistan province.
A second official confirmed the incident and toll.
Thousands of people rallied in support of the Palestinians across Pakistan
Friday, hours after a ceasefire was announced between Israel and Hamas.
Friday's blast comes just weeks after a suicide bombing in the provincial
capital of Quetta struck a luxury hotel where the Chinese ambassador was
being hosted.
That attack was later claimed by the Pakistani Taliban.
Chaman has long served as a gateway for Afghan Taliban militants entering
Afghanistan from their alleged shelters in Balochistan, where the group's
leadership council is believed to be based.
Pakistan is fighting several low-level insurgencies in the impoverished
province, waged by Islamist, separatist, and sectarian groups.
Balochistan is Pakistan's largest and poorest province despite being rich in
natural resources.
Resentment has been fueled by billions of dollars of Chinese money flowing
into the region through the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) — a key part
of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative — which locals say gave them little
benefit as most new jobs went to outsiders.
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