Blast in Pakistan’s Balochistan kills 7, including 5 children, during polio vaccination drive – Times of India

At least seven people, including five schoolchildren and a policeman, were killed in an explosion in Balochistan‘s Mastung in Pakistan, during a polio vaccination drive on Friday.
According to local police chief Fateh Mohammad, a motorized rickshaw carrying schoolchildren was nearby when a bomb attached to a motorcycle exploded, injuring another 22 in the blast.
“It appears that an IED (improvised explosive device) attached to a motorcycle was detonated near a police mobile,” said Kalat division commissioner Naeem Bazai.
“So far, seven individuals have been killed, including five school students,” Bazai added.
No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but it is suspected to have been carried out by separatist groups who have stepped up attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months.
An emergency was declared across all hospitals in Quetta after the blast, according to a spokesperson for the provincial health department, who reported that all doctors, pharmacists, staff nurses, and other medical personnel were summoned.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the chief minister of Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti condemned the bombing and vowed to continue the fight against insurgents until they are eliminated from the country.
Balochistan is the site of a long-running insurgency, with various separatist groups staging attacks primarily on security forces. These groups, including the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), have been demanding independence from the central government.
The BLA has also targeted foreigners. Last month, it claimed responsibility for a bombing that targeted Chinese nationals outside an airport in the southern city of Karachi, killing two workers from China and wounding eight others.