At least 75 killed in suicide attack at Pakistani shrine

At least 75 people
were killed in a suicide attack Thursday at
Pakistan's packed Lal Shahbaz Qalandar shrine in
the southern city of Sehwan in Sindh province,
according to a local hospital official.

All the dead and injured were taken to the nearby
100-bed Sehwan Hospital, which was
overwhelmed the sudden influx of patients, Dr.
Zahid Hussain said
More 200 people were injured in the attack, and
many had been transferred to bigger hospitals in
other cities of Sindh province, he said.

Thousands of worshipers, including families with
their children, had gathered at the more than 800-
year-old shrine for the Sufi ritual of Dhamal,
which involves music, chanting and prayer.
The Islamic State Khorasan, ISIS' affiliate in
Afghanistan and Pakistan, claimed responsibility
for the attack.

The Amaq news agency, which is affiliated with
ISIS, reported the attack was carried out by a
suicide bomber in an explosives vest.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif called the attack
"brutal."

"I have directed all the state institutions to
mobilize all resources for rescue and relief after
this brutal terror attack on Lal Shahbaz Qalandar's
shrine," the Prime Minister said in a statement.

The spokesman for the Pakistani military blamed
operatives from Afghanistan for a recent spate of
attacks on the country.
The spokesman, Maj. Gen. Asif Ghafoor, tweeted:
"Recent Ts (Terrorist) acts are being exec
(Executed) on directions from hostile powers and
from sanctuaries in Afghanistan. We shall defend
and respond."

In another tweet, he urged the country to remain
calm: "Your security forces shall not allow hostile
powers to succeed. We stand for our nation."