At least 10 people died in an explosion in southwestern Balochistan on Friday. The blast was near the town of Mastung, which is about 50km from the capital of the province, Quetta, Al Jazeera reported.

According to reports, the bomb appeared to target the deputy chairman of the Senate, Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, who was injured in the attack.</s>QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb exploded next to a convoy of the deputy chairman of the Pakistan Senate on Friday in the violence-plagued province of Baluchistan, killing at least 25 people, officials said.

Security officers collect evidence as they investigate crime scene after a bomb exploded next to a convoy of deputy chairman of the Pakistan Senate, Senator Ghafoor Haideri in Mastung, Pakistan, May 12, 2017. REUTERS/Naseer Ahmed

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing. The group’s Amaq news agency said a bomber wearing an explosive vest carried out the attack, which was condemned by a former local Islamic State affiliate.

At least 35 people were wounded in the blast near the town of Mastung, 50 km (30 miles) from the provincial capital of Quetta. Television footage showed a vehicle mangled by the blast.

Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament, told Reuters minutes after the explosion he believed he was the target and he had sustained minor injuries.

“There are many casualties as there were many people in the convoy,” he said by telephone.

Haideri is a member of Jamiat e Ulema Islam, a right-wing Sunni Islamist political party that is part of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s coalition government.

District health official Sher Ahmed Satakzai said the death toll had risen to 25 and 10 were in critical condition in hospital.

Security in Pakistan has improved since a crackdown on militancy began in 2014, but a fresh wave of attacks that left more than 100 people dead in February has increased pressure on Sharif’s government.

Mastung police official Ghazanfar Ali Shah said the convoy appeared to have been hit by a suicide bomber, adding Haideri’s driver was among those killed.

The senator, who is being treated in hospital, was on his way back to Quetta after distributing graduation certificates to students from a madrassa, or religious academy.

Militant group Lashkar-e-Jangvi Al Alami, which has jointly carried out attacks with Islamic State in the past, including a bombing at a shrine in Baluchistan in November, condemned Friday’s suicide attack, spokesman Ali Bin Sufyan told Reuters.

Sufyan said the two groups have now split due to “policy changes”, but did not elaborate on what changes had taken place.

Separatist militants in Baluchistan have waged a campaign against the central government for decades, demanding a greater share of the gas-rich province’s resources.

Related Coverage Islamic State claims responsibility for Pakistan bomb attack

Taliban and other Islamist militants also operate in the province, which shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran. A U.S. drone strike killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour last year in Baluchistan.

The province was rocked by a series of attacks late last year that claimed over 180 lives and raised concerns about a growing militant presence.

A judicial report released after an attack on the province’s lawyers left more than 70 dead criticized security provisions in the region and called for increased clampdowns on extremists.</s>At least 17 people were killed and several others injured, including deputy chairman of the senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, in a powerful blast on Friday in Pakistan's south-western Balochistan province.

The bombing targetted Haideri when he came out of a religious seminary after addressing a gathering in Mastung area of the province shortly after the weekly Friday prayers. The area where the explosion took place is approximately 70 kilometres from provincial capital Quetta.

"The death toll has reached 17 and more than 30 people have been injured," said Dr Daad Muhammad, a hospital administrator, according to AFP.

Police said that 10 people were killed in the blast which was apparently a suicide attack.

Senior police officer Abdul Razzaq Cheema said that 30-40 people were injured. He said Haideri was slightly injured.

"I am alive, Allah has saved my life, it was a sudden blast, broken pieces of the windscreen hit me, I am injured but safe. The driver and other people sitting next to me were badly injured," Haideri said on private TV channel SAMAA.

Citing sources, Geo TV said Haideri has been shifted to the civil hospital. Haideri later told Dunya TV in a brief chat that he received minor injuries.

Television footage showed Haideri’s vehicle was badly damaged. He was sitting in the car at the time of blast. His driver was killed in the attack.

Haideri is a top official of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), one of the country's most powerful religious political parties. JUI-F has been targeted by the Pakistani Taliban in the past, even though the party leaders have acted as negotiators between the militants and Pakistan government in the past.

So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

"It is not yet clear whether it was a planted bomb or a suicide attack," police official Safar Khan told AFP as he gave the toll.

Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament, told Reuters minutes after the blast that he believed he was the target and he had sustained minor injuries.

"My convoy was going to Mastung and there was an explosion. There are many casualties as there were many people in the convoy," he said by telephone.

Mastung police official Ghazanfar Ali Shah said the convoy appeared to have been hit by a suicide bomber and at least 17 people were killed, including Haideri's driver.

Separatist militants in Balochistan have waged a campaign against the central government for decades, demanding a greater share of the gas-rich province's resources. Taliban and other Islamist militants also operate in the province, which shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran.

Pakistan has been battling Islamist and nationalist insurgencies in mineral-rich Balochistan since 2004, with hundreds of soldiers and militants killed in the fighting.

Bordering Iran and Afghanistan, it is the largest of Pakistan's four provinces, but its roughly seven million inhabitants have long complained they do not receive a fair share of its gas and mineral wealth.

A greater push towards peace and development by Pakistani authorities has reduced the violence considerably in recent years.

The push includes starting work on a massive Chinese infrastructure project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, which gives Beijing a route to the Arabian Sea through Balochistan's deep sea port of Gwadar.</s>At least 25 killed as explosion hits convoy of Senate deputy chairman Abdul Ghafoor Haideri south of Quetta.

An explosion has killed at least 25 people in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan, medical officials told Al Jazeera.

The blast took place in the town of Mastung, about 50km south of Balochistan's provincial capital of Quetta on Friday. It appears to have targeted the convoy of Senate deputy chairman Abdul Ghafoor Haideri.

Dr Sher Ahmed, the government's district health chief in Mastung, said at least 25 died and another 37 people were wounded.

Haideri survived the attempt on his life, Ahmed said. "He was wounded by the blast but someone who was sitting next to him, and his driver were both killed," he added.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Television footage from the scene showed severe damage to several vehicles and motorcycles.

Hospital official Shafi Zaidi, who heads the main hospital in Mastung, said eight to 10 of the wounded were in critical condition. They were hit by pellets and shrapnel. All of them have been transferred to Quetta. We sent eight ambulances, they are in en route to Quetta.

"The senator is fine. He had superficial injuries on his body from the broken glass," Zaidi added.

Anwar ul-Haq Kakar, spokesperson for the Balochistan provincial government, told Al Jazeera that the attack occurred when Haideri was leaving a mosque after Friday prayers.

"As soon as they started the journey back there was an explosion," Kakar said.

"The law enforcement personnel are collecting evidence at the site and examining the crime scene. It would be premature to say what kind of blast it was at this stage.

"They have cordoned off the immediate crime scene. Police and [the paramilitary] Frontier Corps are present at the scene," he said.</s>At least 20 people were killed and injured 35 others in a blast in Mastung area in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Friday, according to AFP. The blast went off shortly after Friday prayers. Deputy chairman Pakistan Senate Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri is reportedly injured in Mastung blast, as per PTI.

The bomb reportedly targeted Haideri when he was coming out of a religious seminary after addressing a gathering in Mastung area of the province. The scene of the blast is around 70 kilometres from provincial capital Quetta. Meanwhile, police said the blast was apparently a suicide attack. Senior police officer Abdul Razzaq Cheema claimed that at least 30-40 people were injured. He said Haideri was slightly injured. As per local media in Pakistan, Haideri has been shifted to the Civil hospital.

Later, in an interview to a news channel in Pakistan, Haideri said he received minor injuries. So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now</s>A bomb exploded next to a convoy of the deputy chairman of the Pakistan Senate on Friday in the violence-plagued province of Baluchistan, killing at least 25 people, officials said.

At least 35 people were wounded in the blast near the town of Mastung, 50 km (30 miles) from the provincial capital of Quetta. Television footage showed a vehicle mangled by the blast.

Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament, told Reuters minutes after the explosion he believed he was the target and he had sustained minor injuries.

"There are many casualties as there were many people in the convoy," he said by telephone.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack from the many militant groups operating in Baluchistan.

Haideri is a member of Jamiat e Ulema Islam, a right-wing Sunni Islamist political party that is part of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's coalition government.

District health official Sher Ahmed Satakzai said the death toll had risen to 25 and 10 were in critical condition in hospital.</s>Islamabad: The deputy chairman of Pakistan’s Senate on Friday escaped an assassination attempt with injuries. A blast damaged his car, killing 25 people and wounding 35 in the volatile south-western Balochistan province.

The blast targeted Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri when he came out of a mosque after addressing a gathering shortly after the Friday prayers in Mastung area of the province. The area where the explosion took place is approximately 70 kilometres from provincial capital Quetta.

Mastung Hospital PRO Malik Jibran said that 25 dead and over 35 injured were brought to the hospital. More than 15 injured were in critical condition.

Senior police officer Abdul Razzaq Cheema said that 30 to 40 people were injured.

Haideri, who was slightly injured, belongs to Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazal (JUI—F) of Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Most of the people killed were workers of his party.

Chairman of the Senate Raza Rabbani said that it was suicide attack that targeted the deputy chairman. “I have talked to the Chief Secretary of Balochistan and asked him to airlift Haideri to Quetta,” he said.

Citing sources, Geo TV said Haideri was shifted to the Civil hospital.

Haideri later told Dunya TV that he received minor injuries. “It was a powerful explosion. I have received injuries, but I am safe. I am sorry for the death of innocent of people,” he said.

TV footage showed the badly damaged vehicle of Haideri. His driver was killed in the attack.

The District Police Officer of Mastung, Ghazanfar Ali, said Haideri escaped as he was not sitting in the car when the blast took place. “It could be a suicide bomb attack but it is too early to say for sure.”

So far no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Balochistan government spokesman Anwarul Haq Kakar said it was too early to say anything about the nature of the attack. “A probe has been launched to determine the nature of the bombing,” he added.

Balochistan has been hit hard by attacks from terrorists and separatists in recent years and Mastung has seen a lot of unrest despite constant security operations in the area.</s>QUETTA, Pakistan, May 12 (Reuters) - A bomb exploded next to a convoy of the deputy chairman of the Pakistan Senate on Friday in the violence-plagued province of Baluchistan, killing at least 25 people, officials said.

At least 35 people were wounded in the blast near the town of Mastung, 50 km (30 miles) from the provincial capital of Quetta. Television footage showed a vehicle mangled by the blast.

Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament, told Reuters minutes after the explosion he believed he was the target and he had sustained minor injuries.

"There are many casualties as there were many people in the convoy," he said by telephone.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack from the many militant groups operating in Baluchistan.

Haideri is a member of Jamiat e Ulema Islam, a right-wing Sunni Islamist political party that is part of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's coalition government.

District health official Sher Ahmed Satakzai said the death toll had risen to 25 and 10 were in critical condition in hospital.

Security in Pakistan has improved since a crackdown on militancy began in 2014, but a fresh wave of attacks that left more than 100 people dead in February has increased pressure on Sharif's government.

Mastung police official Ghazanfar Ali Shah said the convoy appeared to have been hit by a suicide bomber, adding Haideri's driver was among those killed.

The senator, who is being treated in hospital, was on his way back to Quetta after distributing graduation certificates to students who had graduated from a madrassa, or religious academy.

Separatist militants in Baluchistan have waged a campaign against the central government for decades, demanding a greater share of the gas-rich province's resources.

Taliban and other Islamist militants also operate in the province, which shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran. A U.S. drone strike killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour last year in Baluchistan.

The province was rocked by a series of attacks late last year that claimed over 180 lives and raised concerns about a growing militant presence.

A judicial report released after an attack on the province's lawyers left more than 70 dead criticised security provisions in the region and called for increased clampdowns on extremists. (Writing by Saad Sayeed; Editing by Nick Macfie)</s>Pakistan’s Senate deputy chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri on Friday narrowly escaped an assassination attempt with injuries when a suicide bomber targeted his convoy, killing at least 25 people and wounding 35 others in the restive Balochistan province. Haideri was injured just after his convoy left a mosque in Mastung district, east of the provincial capital Quetta. In an interview to a news channel in Pakistan, Haideri said: “I am alive, Allah has saved my life, it was a sudden blast, broken pieces of the windscreen hit me, I am injured but safe. The driver and other people sitting next to me were badly injured.”

The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Haideri is a member of one of the influential political parties called Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), which is in a coalition with Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif’s government. The deputy chairman’s party is affiliated to the Deoband revivalist movement within Sunni Islam. This movement has traditionally found favour among ethnic Pashtuns situated along the Afghan-Pakistan border as as well as one of the main forces behind influencing the Taliban. It’s interesting to note that although the party leaders have been a driving force behind negotiating with the Pakistan Taliban, they have been frequently targeted in the past.

The attack took place in Balochistan, one of Pakistan’s restive provinces. Various militant groups have carried out multiple attacks on security forces here as well.

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App now</s>Pakistani security officials examine the site of the powerful explosion in Mastung district. Pic/AFP

A bomb exploded next to a convoy of the deputy chairman of the Pakistan Senate on Friday in the violence-plagued province of Baluchistan, killing at least 25 people, officials said. At least 35 people were wounded in the blast near Mastung, 50 km from the provincial capital of Quetta.

Minutes after the explosion, Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament, said he believed he was the target and he had sustained minor injuries. "There are many casualties as there were many people in the convoy," he said.

Later in the day, Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. District health official Sher Ahmed Satakzai said the death toll had risen to 25 and 10 were in critical condition in hospital.

Mastung police official Ghazanfar Ali Shah said the convoy appeared to have been hit by a suicide bomber, adding Haideri's driver was among those killed.

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No. of people who died in the attack
A bomb hits a convoy of the Deputy Chairman of the Senate of Pakistan, Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, near Mastung in the province of Balochistan, killing at least 25 people and wounding 35 others, including the Senate's Deputy Chairman.