Pakistan PM Imran vows not to allow scourge of terrorism to rise again; TTP claims Quetta blast

Gulf Today Report

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed on Thursday the commitment that to not allow the scourge of terrorism to rise again in the country as the nation made great sacrifices in defeating it.

The premier's remarks came a day after at least five people, including two private security guards, were killed and 12 others injured in a powerful blast that took place in the parking lot of Serena Hotel, Quetta on Wednesday night.

In a tweet, Imran said that he was deeply saddened by the loss of innocent lives in the condemnable and cowardly terrorist attack in Quetta.

"We will not allow this monster to re-emerge," tweeted Imran. "We are on full alert and keeping an eye on all internal and external threats."

Earlier it was reported that the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the Serena hotel blast. A spokesman for the TTP said, “Our suicide bomber used his explosive-filled car in the hotel."

Volunteers carry an injured victim on a stretcher at the site of an explosion in Quetta. AFP

However, police said the initial investigation revealed that the explosive device was planted in a car that was parked in the hotel's parking area.

Beijing said it strongly condemned the attack, although the Taliban said Pakistan security officials were the target of the blast.

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The bomb was placed in a car parked at the Serena hotel — part of a five-star chain popular with diplomats — and detonated late on Wednesday in the city of Quetta.

"The suicide bomber hit the security officials exactly as it was planned," the spokesperson for TTP said in a statement.

A man comforts another who mourns the death of a relative after an explosion at Serena hotel. Reuters

Police said the blast came from an improvised explosive device, and security officials and hotel staff were among those killed.

Describing the blast as a "terrorist attack," China's foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said in Beijing that the Chinese delegation was not present when the bomb detonated.

Gu Wenliang, agriculture commissioner at China's embassy in Pakistan, told the Chinese newspaper Global Times that the bomb had detonated 10 minutes before their expected return.

Firemen douse burning vehicles as rescue workers search for the injured after an explosion at Serena hotel. Reuters

"I was walking through the car park when I heard a sudden loud sound and the earth shook under my feet," said Khuda Baksh, a guard at the hotel. "Everyone was running for their lives before I lost consciousness", he said.