Three days of mourning after Pakistan blasts kill 100

Three days of mourning have begun in the Pakistani province of Balochistan, after 120 people were killed in attacks on Thursday.

The two main bombings took place at a snooker hall in the predominantly Shia Muslim neighbourhood of Quetta in Pakistan, which killed at least 80 people and injured many others. 

The BBC’s Orla Guerlin said: “Even by the blood-soaked standards of Pakistan, the attack on the snooker hall was devastating. The Pakistani media is calling it a blood bath.”

Also on Thursday at least 25 people were killed and 70 wounded after an explosion in Swat, Pakistan. The explosion occurred during a talk from a Muslim leader at the Tableeghi Jamaat primary centre on the outskirts of Mingora. 1,500 people were present at the talk. 

The bombings are widely reported in the press due to sectarian infighting between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Balochistan.

On Friday there was a gathering of at least 2,000 people in Quetta demanding a targeted military operation against the individuals who committed the attacks. 

Daniel Cotter