4 Pakistani opposition members killed in roadside bomb blast

At least four Pakistanis have been killed in a roadside bomb attack that struck an election convoy of the main opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N, in southwestern Balochistan Province.

The attack was carried out on Tuesday in Khuzdar district, some 350 kilometers (220 miles) south of provincial capital Quetta.

According to authorities, Sanaullah Zehri, the head of the Pakistan Muslim League-N in Balochistan Province, was heading a convoy of vehicles to address an election rally in the district.

“An improvised explosive device went off as Zehri, leading a convoy of more than 20 vehicles, left his home to campaign in Khuzdar,” provincial home secretary Akbar Durrani said.

Reports say that Zehri escaped the assassination attempt but his son, brother, nephew and their guard were all killed in the attack.

On April 14, Pakistani police officials said a roadside bomb attack in the northwestern part of the country killed a local leader of the Awami National Party (ANP).

“Mukarram Shah, was travelling to Mingora when his vehicle was targeted by an IED (improvised explosive device), around 12 km northeast of Mingora city,” said Gul Afzal Afridi the district police chief.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but police officials blame pro-Taliban militants who have carried out similar assaults in the past.

On March 31, a roadside bomb attack in northwestern town of Bannu killed two people and wounded six others, including a member of the ANP identified as Adnan Wazir, who is a candidate for the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial assembly in the May 11.

Pakistan has been experiencing increasing violence as the country prepares to hold the May 11 general election and provincial polls.

Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks since October 2001, when Pakistan joined an alliance with the United States in its so-called war on terror.

Since late 2009, there has been a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan and thousands more have been displaced by the wave of violence and militancy sweeping across the country.