Bomb blast at Sufi shrine in Pakistan kills 25

Officials say at least 35 others injured by explosion targeting worshipers in the southwestern Khuzdar district

At least 25 people died and 35 others were injured when a bomb exploded at a Sufi shrine in southern Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Saturday, officials said.

The blast hit a crowd of worshipers participating in a ceremony at the shrine of Sufi saint Shah Noorani in Khuzdar district, some 760 kilometers (472 miles) south of provincial capital Quetta.

“At least 25 people have been killed in bomb blast at Shah Noorani shrine,” Commissioner of Kalat region Mohammad Hashim told AFP.

Zulfiqar Hashmi, Deputy Commissioner of nearby Lasbela division confirmed the deaths and said that more than 35 people suffered injuries in the attack.

Local officials said worshipers were taking part in a devotional dance session, which is held daily before dusk, when the blast hit.

The attack comes months after Amjad Sabri, a renowned Sufi singer, was shot dead by two gunmen in Karachi in June.

Some observers have said that Sabri may have been assassinated because he was a high-profile Sufi.

Sufism, a mystic Islamic order that believes in living saints, worships through music, and is viewed as heretical by some hardline groups including the Taliban.