- By Aalok Sensharma
- Sun, 20 Mar 2022 12:25 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Islamabad/ Sialkot | Jagran News Desk: A massive explosion was heard at the northern city of Sialkot in Pakistan on Sunday, reported news agency ANI citing local media reports. The blast reportedly took near the cantonment area in the Punjab province.
"Pakistan - Multiple explosions at the Sialkot military base in northern Pakistan. Initial indications are this is an ammunition storage area. A large fire is burning. Cause as yet unverified," said Rishi Suri, editor of The Daily Milap, as reported by ANI.
Any kind of injury or death has not been reported till now. Meanwhile, several people have shared the pictures and videos of the blast on the micro-blogging website Twitter.
Reports suggest that the blast occurred after the ammunition depot, which is close to Jammu, got hit by an "unidentified object". The Pakistan government or the army, however, are yet to issue a statement over the same.
The blast took place at a time when a power tussle has began in Pakistan between Prime Minister Imran Khan's government and opposition leaders. Opposition leaders have threatened to stage a "sit-in" at Pakistan's lower house and disrupt the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit if a no-confidence motion is not passed against Imran's government.
According to ANI, Pakistan Army's top brass, led by General Qamar Javed Bajwa, has asked Imran to resign after the conference of the OIC. General Bajwa, three other senior Lieutenant Generals, and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lieutenant General Nadeem Anjum have decided not to give any escape route to Imran, reported ANI.
The fissures between Imran and the Army establishment became visible when the former in his profanity-laced speech on March 11 had rebuffed Army Chief Bajwa's advice to not use derogatory remarks against Opposition leaders.
"I was just talking to General Bajwa (Chief of Pakistani Army) and he told me not to refer to Fazl as 'diesel'. But I am not the one who is saying that. The people have named him diesel," Khan reportedly said referring to JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
With inputs from ANI
