Pakistan: Nine Killed in Multiple Bombings

Facts

• On Monday, nine people were killed in two separate bombing incidents in Pakistan. In the country's southwest, a local politician and six others were killed by a roadside bomb, while two people were killed by a suicide bomber in the nation's northwest.¹
• The suicide bombing, which killed a married couple, occurred in a region of Waziristan that used to be a Pakistani Taliban stronghold. The second bombing occurred only a few hours later, killing Balochistan Awami Party politician Ishaq Yaqub among others.²
• Though the likely targets, members of a bomb disposal squad at the site of the blast in Waziristan were unharmed. The banned Pakistani Taliban faction Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are suspected to be responsible for the blast, in which the assailant was killed.¹
• The second bombing occurred when a remote control bomb hit a vehicle carrying Yaqub and his companions from a wedding in the Kech district of Quetta. Many others were injured in the explosion.³
• The identity of the perpetrator behind the attack in Balochistan has not been ascertained and no group has yet come forward to claim responsibility for the attack.¹
• The Balochistan province has seen low-intensity insurgency by small separatist and nationalist groups, amid conflict over alleged discrimination and calls for more equitable shares of wealth and resources. Meanwhile, fears the TTP are regrouping in North Waziristan have risen recently, as violence in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa district continues.¹

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²ABC News, and ³BOL News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Sky News. Terror attacks are on the rise Pakistan, with many analysts predicting that threats are set to increase further as elections approach. Districts that were once major focus points during the global war on terror are seeing heightened activity and tension, especially since the Taliban retook control in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan's government should be prepared for the TTP to take further action against officials in an attempt to destabilize the country.
• Narrative B, as provided by VOA. Rather than undermine relations with it's geopolitical neighbor, Pakistani officials should be communicating directly with Taliban leaders in Afghanistan about concerns over cross-border terrorism. Disseminating baseless claims to international media outlets will only create more trouble, while dialogue and transparency with the Islamic Emirate with a view to ensuring stability would be in the best interests of Pakistan's government and its people.

Predictions