A massive explosion shook Pakistani city of Quetta today on early afternoon. A suicide bomb attack has killed 63 people at a hospital in Quetta, in south-west Pakistan, officials say. About 120 others were injured in the blast, which happened at the entrance to the emergency department where the body of a prominent lawyer shot dead earlier on Monday was being brought. The casualties included lawyers and journalists accompanying the body of Bilal Anwar Kasi. Gunfire followed the explosion. It was not clear who the attackers were. Mr Kasi, who was president of the Balochistan Bar Association, had been shot by two unknown assailants while on his way from his home to the main court complex in Quetta.

Investigators may have a difficult task ahead - there is a confusing cocktail of militant groups in Pakistan that use the country as a sanctuary, despite official claims to the contrary. Balochistan province, of which Quetta is the capital, has been the scene of a violent separatist insurgency for years. But many believe Monday's attack, that appeared to target lawyers, carries the signature of militant groups with a wider agenda, such as the TTP (Pakistani Taliban) or other anti-government militants.

Local experts believe the attackers may have targeted the lawyers because they were less well-guarded than security or police officers - and because an attack on lawyers, who
represent a vocal section of society, is likely to attract high publicity.

Some regional officials have blamed India for being a possible instigator - as they have in previous attacks. But India has always denied such claims.

The bloody attack in Quetta is yet another reminder that despite recent military claims to the contrary, militants in Pakistan are far from being defeated.
There have been a number of targeted killings in Quetta and the victims in recent weeks have included several lawyers.

Mr Kasi had strongly condemned the attacks and local media said he had announced a two-day boycott of court sessions in protest at the killing of a colleague last week.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his "deep grief and anguish", adding: "No-one will be allowed to disturb the peace of the province. The people, policy and security forces in Balochistan have given sacrifices for the country."

The president of Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association, Syed Ali Zafa, denounced the assault as "an attack on justice".

The Chief Minister of Balochistan, Sanaullah Zehri, said those injured should be given the best medical treatment and facilities available.

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