Pakistan: 100 killed in bombing at Shahbaz Qalandar shrine; US, UN condemn attack

A suspected suicide bomber blew himself up near the gate of the shrine of Sufi saint Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sindh province of Pakistan Thursday late evening, killing at least 100 people and injuring more than 250.

According to the police, the blast took place during a Sufi ritual called Dhamaal, when hundreds of devotees were present inside the premises of the mausoleum of the saint. Hospital staff confirmed that at least 100 people had died in the attack.

The Pakistani army chief responded strongly to the attack, saying the country's forces would avenge every drop of Pakistani blood and that restraint would not be shown for anyone.The US, the UN and the EU were among the first the condemn the deadly attack.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani military announced that the Pak-Afghan border has been indefinitely sealed. Major General Asif Ghafoor, the spokesperson of Pakistan Armed Forces, tweeted his from official account, saying, "Pakistan-Afghanistan Border closed with immediate effects till further orders due to security reasons."

Pakistan-Afghanistan Border closed with immediate effects till further orders due to security reasons. Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor (@OfficialDGISPR) February 16, 2017

ISIS CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY

Initial reports suggest that it was a suicide bombing on portion reserved for women in the shrine, the Dawn reported, quoting SSP Jamshoro Tariq Wilayat. "It seems to be a suicide bombing according to initial information provided by Sehwan police to me and I am on way to Shewan," Wilayat added.

Assistant Superintendent of Police in Sehwan said a suicide bomber entered the shrine through its golden gate. The attacker blew himself up after throwing a grenade, which failed to explode, he said.

8th attack in 4 days:Suicide bombing inside Dargah of Hazrat Lal Shehbaz Qalandar in Sehvan Sharif many women and children among dead Hamid Mir (@HamidMirGEO) February 16, 2017

The ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack via its Aamaq news agency, saying a suicide bomber had targeted a "Shiite gathering" at the shrine in Sindh. The militant organisation also released a picture purportedly of the suicide bomber.

#ISIS/#Daesh claims responsibility for #SehwanBlast , releases pic of suicide bomber Usman Ansari (right)... #Sehwan #SehwanSharifBlast pic.twitter.com/ulYuZGFkXC Bilal Farooqi (@bilalfqi) February 16, 2017

A large number of devotees, from across the country, frequent the shrine on Thursdays as it is a popular day to visit Sufi shrines.

This Sufi pilgrimage centre, famously called Sehwan da Sakhi Shahbaz Qalandar, is the same one that which is mentioned in the popular qawwali Dama Dam Mastt Qalandar, said to have been penned by Amir Khusro.

Watch famous qawwali singer Tahir Qawwal perform in a video shot at the same location

ARMY CHIEF: EVERY DROP OF BLOOD WILL BE AVENGED

Tweeting from his official account, Major General Asif Ghafoor, the spokesperson of the Pakistani Armed Forces, quoted the country's chief of army staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa as saying, "Each drop of nation's blood shall be revenged, and revenged immediately. No more restraint for anyone."

Maj Gen Ghafoor further tweeted that the chief has appealed for calm. "Your security forces shall not allow hostile powers to succeed. We stand for our nation", Ghafoor quoted Gen Bajwa as saying.

Ghafoor added that medical teams from the army and the Pakistani Rangers have reached the location and that air evacuation of the injured has begun.

Meanwhile, an emergency has been declared in all hospitals of the area, with the injured being shifted to Liaquat Medical Complex Jamshoro and the sub-district hospital.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah ordered immediate rescue operation and government announced emergency in the hospitals of the nearby Jamshooro and Hyderabad districts.

EU, UN, US CONDEMN ATTACK

The European Union (EU) denounced the suicide attack with a spokesperson of the the EU's diplomatic service, European External Action Service, saying, "We express our condolences to the families of the victims and wish a speedy recovery to those who were injured. We are determined to stand by Pakistan in fighting all forms of terrorism and will continue to strengthen our cooperation with Pakistan in this regard."

The United Nations too released a statement that quoted Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' as saying, "The United Nations supports the government of Pakistan in its fight against terrorism in full respect of international and human rights norms." "We call for the perpetrators of this attack to be brought to justices swiftly," the statement added.

The US condemned the attack as well. "We stand with the people of Pakistan in their fight against terrorism and remain committed to the security of the South Asia region," acting State Department Spokesman Mark Toner said, adding, "We will continue to work with the Government of Pakistan and our partners across the region to combat the threat of terrorism."

This is the fifth terror attack in Pakistan within a week.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Watch: First images after the bomb blast at Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Pakistan