Bomb attack kills 58, wounds 200 in southwestern Pakistan

At least 58 people have been killed and 200 others have been injured in a remote-controlled bomb attack carried out in southwestern Pakistan, official sources say.

The attack took place on Saturday in Hazara town, on the outskirts of Quetta city in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan Province. The area is mostly inhabited by Shia Muslims.

Quetta’s senior police officer Wazir Khan Nasir said that the Shia community in the region was the target of the attack. Akbar Hussain Durrani, a provincial official, also said there were women and children among the dead.

Violence has been on the rise against Shia Muslims in different parts of the country in recent months.

On January 10, nearly 130 people were killed and many others injured in a wave of deadly bomb attacks targeting both Pakistani security guards and civilians in Quetta.

Following the incident, massive protests broke out across the country to denounce the violence against Shia Muslims, with protesters accusing the Pakistani government of failing to take enough action to prevent terror attacks on the Shia community.

Shias make up 20 percent of the country’s 180-million-strong population.

Since the beginning of 2012, hundreds of Shias have been killed in Pakistan. The attacks have targeted many doctors, engineers, high-ranking government officials, teachers, and politicians.