On Friday 14th of June, Pakistan witnessed the most tragic event in its history which went straight through the hearts of all the Pakistanis. Quetta militants attacked the Quaid-e-Azam residency in Ziarat with a hand grenade and destroyed all the historical monuments of the founder as well as the leader of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Jinnah had spent the last days of his life in that house; therefore, it was named “Quaid-e-Azam Residency”. The bed which he used in his last days, his chair and even the historic photographs were destroyed by the curial militants. It was indeed a moment of despair for all the Pakistanis as the house, and the belongings of their leader no longer exist.
It was reported that on Friday, after midnight at least 4 militants managed to come into the residency from a nearby mountain, under the cover of darkness. They had planted a number of bombs within the residency and set the place on fire.
The floor and the balcony were totally destroyed because of the fire. When the security personnel went inside the residency, they were shot by the militants. One of the security guards named Muhammad Tahir was killed on the spot. The militants hence managed to escape from the scene.
The BLA took the reasonability for the attack. The Interior Minister of Pakistan, Chuadhary Nisar reported that the militants even brought down Pakistan’s flag and replaced it with BLA’s flag demanding Balochistan to be an independent state. Not only was the building destroyed, some of the Quaid’s personal belongings that were preserved as a historic asset were also destroyed.
Eventually, the fire brigade team at Quetta arrived after the attack and managed to save some of the structure of the building. Luckily, the central library near the residency was safe from damage. The bomb disposal squad also reached the spot and defused 6 bombs. According to the watchman at the residency, the first blast was heard at 1:45 am. Immediately after the 1st explosion, there were a series of gunfire followed by 3 more blasts. So, almost 4 blasts took place which destroyed the precious memories of the Pakistanis.
The chief Minister of Balochistan Dr. Abdul Malik has promised the re-construction of the building. The residency had never come under such threats before. This was a totally peaceful area and people used to visit it for recreation. He said whoever was responsible for this would not be spared.
History tells that Ziarat was always a well-known tourist spot. It was constructed in 1892, and before independence, it was the residence of British officers who used to stay there when they visited the valley. After independence in 1948, Quaid-e-Azam went there to take rest where he spent the last days of his life down with health. He stayed there for 2 months, and after his death this building got the name of a national asset.
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