23 Pak Shia pilgrims killed in Balochistan

The home secretary of the province, Akbar Durrani confirmed to PTI that security forces were able to overpower the attackers after a few hours of heavy exchange of gunfire as the masked militants had come heavily armed and prepared for a siege.

“The bodies of the pilgrims are being shifted to hospitals and the injured are also getting treatment,” Durrani said.

“There were explosions after the buses were parked outside the hotels where the pilgrims were going to stay overnight before they commenced their journey back the following day,” Durrani said.

Attacks on Shia pilgrims have increased in recent years in the Baluchistan province where in the past also such attacks have killed dozens and injured scores of pilgrims. 

Two devastating bombings in Quetta killed nearly 200 Shias last year and were claimed by banned Sunni extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) which has links to al-Qaeda. 

While in January, a blast on a bus carrying pilgrims from Iran killed some 22 people in Mastung area of the province.  Leading Shia organisations have announced they would hold countrywide protests and sit-ins against the attack.