Paramilitary soldiers stand guard on the side of a road for security, ahead of Feb 8 general elections, in Karachi, Pakistan, Feb 7, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

ISLAMABAD – At least 24 people were killed and dozens injured in two separate blasts near candidates’ offices in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Wednesday, just a day ahead of the country’s general elections.

The first attack, which killed 14, took place at the office of an independent election candidate in Pishin district. The second explosion in Qilla Saifullah, a town near the Afghan border, detonated near an office of Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI), a religious party that has previously been the target of militant attacks, according to the province's information minister.

At least 10 people were killed there, he said.

Deputy Commissioner Pishin Juma Dad Khan Mandukhel told Xinhua that the first explosion happened when workers and supporters of the candidate were gathered outside his office

Both blasts occurred in the similar way, with explosive materials planted in a motorcycle and detonated with a remote-controlled device, according to media reports. It was not immediately clear who was behind the attacks.

"The Election Commission has asked the chief secretary and inspector general of Balochistan for immediate reports and instructed them to take action against those behind the events," an Election Commission spokesperson said in a statement.

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The country's Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar condemned the attacks, saying that the government is committed to peaceful conduct of general elections and every attempt to sabotage the law-and-order situation will be thwarted.  

Deputy Commissioner Pishin Juma Dad Khan Mandukhel told Xinhua that the first explosion happened when workers and supporters of the candidate were gathered outside his office.

Following the incident, security forces and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the injured to nearby hospitals in the district. A state of emergency has also been imposed in all the hospitals in the district.

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According to hospital sources, the death toll might further rise as several of the injured are in critical condition.