On 25 July 2018, during polling for the

2018 Pakistani general election General elections were held in Pakistan on Wednesday, 25 July 2018 to elect the members of 15th National Assembly and the four Provincial Assemblies. The three major parties Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led by Imran Khan, the Pakistan Muslim ...

, a bomb blast outside a polling station in

Quetta Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه‎) is the tenth most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in south-west of the country close to the International border with Afghanistan. It is the capital of the ...

's Eastern Bypass area resulted in 31 people being killed and over 35 injured.

Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a state that has a form of government based on Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a translation of the Arabic term ...

claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the group’s Amaq News Agency.

Attack

"The bomber was trying to enter the polling station. When police tried to stop him, he blew himself," a local administration official in Quetta, Hashim Ghilzai, has said. According to Bomb Disposal Squad, 18-20 kilograms of explosives were used in the suicide attack.

Responsibility

claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the group’s Amaq news agency. The group said the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, but did not provide further detail or evidence for its claim.

Aftermath

Election Commission of Pakistan The Election Commission of Pakistan ( ur, ; ECP) is an independent, autonomous, permanent and constitutionally established federal body responsible for organizing and conducting elections to the national parliament, provincial legislatures, ...

(ECP) while condemning the attack had summoned report from Balochistan government. ECP also suspended the internet and cellphone services in several districts in Balochistan. Polling resumed in the PB-31 polling station after being suspended briefly, however, the number of voters remained low.

Reactions

* Chairman of

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI; ur, , ) is a political party in Pakistan. It was founded in 1996 by Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, who served as the country's prime minister from 2018 to 2022. The PTI is one of the thre ...

Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi ( ur}; born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former Cricket captain who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to until April 2022, when he was ousted through a no-confidenc ...

condemned the attack and called it a “terrorist attack” by Pakistan’s enemies “seeking to disrupt our democratic process”. He tweeted, "Condemnable terrorist attack in Quetta by enemies of Pak seeking to disrupt our democratic process. Saddened by the loss of innocent lives. Pakistanis must defeat the terrorists' design by coming out in strength to cast their vote." * President of Pakistan Muslim League (N)

Shehbaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: , ; born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, in office since 11 April 2022. He is the current president o ...

also condemned the incident as a “terrorist attack” and offered his condolences to the families of the victims. He tweeted, "Heart broken to learn of martyrdom of innocent people including police officials & injuries sustained by others in a terrorist attack in Quetta at a time when the people are exercising their democratic right of vote. My profound condolences to the bereaved families."

References

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Attack

Responsibility

Aftermath

Reactions

See also

References