Blasts near Pakistan candidates’ offices kill 22 on eve of election
NY Post
Two blasts took place near electoral candidates’ offices in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan, local officials said on Wednesday, killing 22 people and raising concerns over security in the lead-up to Thursday’s polls.
Pakistan goes to the polls amid rising militant attacks in recent months and the jailing of Imran Khan, the winner of the last national election, who has been dominating the headlines despite an economic crisis and other woes threatening the nuclear-armed country.
Authorities have said they are boosting security at polling booths.
The first attack, which killed 12, took place at the office of an independent election candidate in Pishin district.
The second explosion in Qilla Saifullah, a town near the Afghan border, detonated near an office of Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI), a religious party that has previously been the target of militant attacks, according to the province’s information minister.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks.
