At least four people were killed and 15 others injured in a bomb blast in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, officials said on December 30.
The explosion occurred as workers from an Islamist party were leaving a venue following a conference in the provincial capital of Quetta. The blast killed at least four political workers, said Fida Hussain Shah, a senior police official, according to AFP.
Balochistan Health Department media coordinator Wasim Baig confirmed the death toll in a statement quoted by the news outlet Dawn.com.
A Balochistan government adviser quoted by Dawn said the explosion was triggered by a remote-controlled device.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudus Bizenjo called an “act of terrorism.”
Bizenjo said he was saddened by the loss of life and that those who target innocent citizens deserved strict punishment.
A number of separatist armed groups are active in Balochistan, which is Pakistan’s largest and poorest province despite being rich in natural resources.
