Pakistan militants demolish Jinnah’s house
15 June PTI
The Residency, a national monument located in Balochistan province,
was used by Jinnah during his last days.
Militants on Saturday attacked a historic 121-year-old building in
Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province that was used by the
country’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, killing a policeman and causing
extensive damage to the structure. The militants targeted the
Quaid-e-Azam residency in Ziarat, a holiday resort located about 120 km
from the provincial capital of Quetta. They planted and set off four
bombs and then opened fire. The explosions and gunfire triggered a blaze
that was extinguished after four hours.
A policeman was killed in the shooting, police officials said. The
wooden parts of the building, furniture and memorabilia associated with
Jinnah were destroyed by the fire. Television footage showed that the
roof of the building had collapsed and only its structure made of bricks
was left intact.
District police chief Asghar Ali said a bomb disposal squad had found
and defused six more bombs, each containing about three kilograms of
explosives. He said it took longer than expected for the fire to be
controlled as there are no fire tenders in Ziarat. A fire tender sent
from Quetta was used to put out the blaze. Security forces cordoned off
the area and launched a search operation though they were unable to
trace the attackers.
The Residency, built in 1892, was originally used as the summer
residence of the Agent of the British Governor General. Jinnah spent the
last days of his life in the building while suffering from tuberculosis
and the structure was later declared a national monument. |