Explosion In Pakistan: Balochistan Blast Kills 2, Injures Dozen At Juma Khan Hotel In Hub

UPDATE 11:30 p.m. EDT: The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the bombing in a post to Twitter. The BLA targeted the son of Pakistan's president.

Original post:

A bomb blast in Pakistan, has left two people dead and at least a dozen injured, reports from local media outlets said. The explosion occurred in the industrial center of Hub, in Balochistan province, home to a large separatist movement.

Geo TV News reported explosives were strapped to a motorcycle parked in front of the Juma Khan hotel before the blast.

Balochistan is in the southwestern part of Pakistan and borders Iran. Separatists seek an equal share in the revenue from the province’s vast oil and mineral resources as well as autonomy from Pakistan. Islamic militants have also been known to operate in the area.

Human rights activists have accused the Pakistani government of forcefully detaining Baloch people for years without trial, and sometimes killing them. But authorities have denied any involvement, the Associated Press reported.

Last month, gunmen killed Sabeen Mahmud, a prominent women’s rights activist, and her mother Mehnaz while they were stopped at a traffic light in an upscale Karachi neighborhood, the BBC reported. Mahmud's organization, The Second Floor, also known as T2F regularly held seminars on human rights issues.

On April 11, at least 20 workers were shot and killed as they worked on a dam in Balochistan after gunmen overpowered eight security guards, Al Jazeera reported. A separatist group, the Balochistan Liberation Front, told the BBC it was responsible for the attack, and had been targeting the Pakistani military.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bomb blast in Hub.