Quetta - BNA
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.
Daesh claimed responsibility for the bombing, saying that a bomber wearing an explosive vest carried out the attack.
At least 35 people were wounded in the blast near the town of Mastung, 50 km from the provincial capital of Quetta. Television footage showed a vehicle mangled by the blast, Reuters reported.
Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament, said 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 told Reuters by telephone.
Haideri is a member of Jamiat e Ulema Islam, a 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.
Source: BNA