Five killed, 15 injured in Mosque bombing in southwest Pakistan
Karachi, Aug 16: A powerful bomb ripped through a mosque during Friday prayers in Pakistan's Balochistan province, killing at least five persons and injuring 15 others, police said.
The blast occurred at a mosque in Quetta's Kuchlak area on Friday, The Express Tribune reported.
Officials believe the blast was carried out with an improvised explosive device (IED) that contained around eight to 10 kilograms of explosives which was planted inside the mosque, the report said.
"Five persons were killed and 15 others injured in the attack," a police official said.
A rescue operation is under way and security forces have also cordoned off the area.
Police said the injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals for treatment, while emergency has been declared at Civil Hospital Quetta.
Police have cordoned off the area and a bomb disposal squad has been requested.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Taliban militants and Baloch nationalist often carry out such attacks.
The blast in Kuchlak is the fourth in Balochistan in less than a month's time.
A week before, on July 30, five persons, including two policemen, died when a powerful bomb tore through a police patrol van at a busy roundabout in Quetta.
At least 32 people including Additional SHO Shafaat Ali were also wounded in the attack targeting the police vehicle parked outside the City Police Station at Bacha Khan Chowk.
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MediaOne TV Facebook page restored after block linked to ‘government request’
Kochi: The official Facebook page of Malayalam news channel MediaOne TV has been restored after being blocked without prior notice, the broadcaster said on Wednesday.
The channel was quoted by Maktoob as saying that the restriction was lifted automatically, with Meta Platforms informing it that the action had been taken following a “government request” which has now expired or been reversed.
The development came shortly after the channel approached the Kerala High Court challenging the blocking of its page, terming it arbitrary and in violation of legal provisions and judicial precedents. The High Court had issued notice to Meta via email hours before the restriction was withdrawn.
In its petition, the channel said access to its Facebook page had been restricted for users in India without citing any specific content or alleged violation. It contended that while individual posts may be taken down under applicable a rule, blocking an entire page goes beyond the scope of such measures.
The incident followed an earlier action taken against the channel in 2022, when the Ministry of Information and transmitting prohibited it from transmitting. It cited national security concerns regarding the Ministry of Home Affairs' refusal of security clearance.
The Supreme Court of India in April 2023 set aside the ban, observing that national security claims cannot be made without substantive basis and that criticism of government policies does not render a media outlet anti-national.
