Pakistani paramedics move an injured survivor following a bomb blast near a polio vaccination centre, at a hospital in Quetta on Wednesday.
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“The suicide bomber detonated his explosives among the police officers, said Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti”.
AFP reports almost 80 people have been killed in the attacks since December 2012.
The dead included personnel of security agencies deployed to protect the teams carrying out the anti-polio campaign in Quetta district.
DUSHAMBE Jan. 13 (APP): President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon on Wednesday said that his government would make every effort to expand bilateral relations with Pakistan especially in trade and economic besides culture and tourism sectors.
“We won’t allow the nefarious designs of the terrorists to succeed, we will eliminate polio”, he said. The official added that at least 10 people had been wounded in the blast, nine of whom were police and one a civilian.
The teams working to immunise children in Pakistan against polio are often targeted by Taliban and other militants who say the campaign is a cover for Western spies or accuse workers of distributing drugs created to sterilise children.
The statement said an investigation into the incident has made “considerable progress”, leading to the arrest of several individuals from the Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group.
“The blast was apparently carried out by a suicide bomber”, said Mr Bugti.
Reuters adds: Militant group Jundullah, which has links with the Pakistani Taliban and has pledged allegiance to Islamic State, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Ahmed Marwat, a commander and spokesman for Jundullah, said his group was responsible for the attack. “For the time being the polio campaign has been suspended, though it will be resumed shortly”, he said.
The cops were waiting outside the centre in Satellite Town area to accompany polio workers for the 3rd day of a vaccination campaign in the province.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where the disease remains endemic.
The lack of trust and fears of attacks on vaccination centers have led many Pakistani parents to refuse mandatory vaccinations.
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In that year, Pakistan recorded its highest number of polio cases since 1999.
