PH
Provincial home minister Sarfraz Bugti said the attack took place in the district of Sibi, about 200km southeast of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.
He said the suicide attacker had entered the mosque as Shi’ites were holding a gathering ahead of the Ashoura, a key religious event.
Six children were among those killed, Bugti said. The male suicide bomber was wearing a woman’s head-to-toe burqa dress to deceive guards, he said.
Sunni extremists are suspected of sanctioning the bombing.
The latest attack came ahead of Ashoura, a 10-day ritual during which Shi’ites commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Pakistan has boosted security for Ashoura, when minority Shi’ite Muslims hold public rallies despite threats from Sunni extremists who consider them to be heretics.
