Pakistan: At Least 10 Dead In Explosion Near Islamabad Shrine

A huge explosion occurred near an imambargah in Islamabad’s Tarlai area on Friday, killing 10 people, local media reported.

The injured are being shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), as per the report as further details are awaited.

The blast comes days after Balochistan witnessed deadly attacks, carried out by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which claimed the lives of 36 innocent civilians, including women and children, along with 22 security and law enforcement personnel.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed that its operation titled “Operation Herof II” is continuing into its sixth consecutive day, rejecting statements issued by Pakistan’s military media wing as propaganda.

The claims were made in a statement posted on February 5 by Jeeyand Baloch, spokesperson for the Baloch Liberation Army.

As cited in Jeeyand Baloch’s post, the BLA asserted that Operation Herof II remains ongoing with what it described as determination, consistency and military success.

The statement said that any claims by the Pakistani state or its media apparatus, including the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), regarding the conclusion of the operation should be regarded as false until the BLA itself announces its end. According to the statement, such claims do not reflect the ground realities described and lack credibility among the Baloch population.

The statement alleged that ISPR press releases issued during the operation have been contradictory and misleading. It claimed that on the first day of the operation, Pakistani authorities had announced their conclusion and the elimination of all attackers, a claim which, according to the BLA, has been repeated daily over the past six days. The statement further alleged that these repeated claims indicate failures both on the battlefield and in what it described as the narrative domain.

Jeeyand Baloch’s post also addressed casualties, stating that BLA fighters, referred to as Sarmachars and Fidaeens, enter the conflict with the belief that martyrdom is an honourable outcome. The statement claimed that the organisation publicly acknowledges its fallen members by releasing their names, photographs and circumstances, while alleging that the Pakistani army conceals casualties among its personnel by withholding identities and conducting burials without public disclosure. (ANI)