It has been a rough week for Pakistan. At least 75 people were killed and more than 250 injured when an Islamic State suicide bomber struck the famous Sufi Shrine of Sehwan in southern Sindh province on Thursday. The Pakistani newspaper the Dawn called it the tenth militant attack in past five days, Al Jazeera claimed that it was the deadliest attack in Pakistan in over two years.
Hundreds had gathered to perform a ritual at the famous Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in Sehwan on Thursday — when the attack was carried out. The suicide bomber entered the shrine through its golden gate and before blowing himself up, threw a grenade, which failed to explode, said the Sehwan Assistant Superintendent of Police. The IS claimed responsibility for the attack via its propaganda website.
Sehwan doesn’t have enough medical facilities to tackle such an emergency. Sikandar Mandhro, Sindh’s health minister, told Al Jazeera, “The medical facilities at Sehwan are not equipped to deal with a very big emergency, so our first priority right now is to get help to the wounded.”
The Pakistani army and rangers were shifting those injured to hospitals in Karachi and Hyderabad by navy helicopters and C-130 planes. The spokesperson of the Pakistani armed forces, in a series of tweets, said:
Reportedly, in November 2016, at least 52 people were killed in a similar attack carried out at a shrine of Sufi Saint Shah Noorani in Balochistan province. It was also claimed by the IS.
Army General Qamar Javed Bajwa has vowed to avenge each drop of Pakistani blood following the attack in Sehwan, adding that the country would no longer show restraint to anyone.