Pakistan Elections: Dozens Killed in Blasts outside Candidates’ Offices

By Staff, Agencies

At least 24 people have been killed in two blasts in southwestern Pakistan near the offices of two election candidates.

The first attack, which killed 14, took place at the office of an independent election candidate in Pishin district in the Balochistan region.

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.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Several groups, including Taliban and separatist groups from Balochistan, oppose the Pakistani state and have carried out a spate of attacks in recent months.

The attacks came despite the deployment of tens of thousands of police and paramilitary forces across Pakistan to ensure police following a recent surge in militant attacks, especially in Balochistan.