At least eight people were killed, 17 injured, and three abducted in two separate terror attacks in Pakistan’s volatile Balochistan province since Wednesday, officials confirmed.
Explosion in Quetta Kills Two, Injures 17
On Thursday, a bomb exploded near a police vehicle in the Barech Market area of Quetta, killing two people and injuring 17 others. According to Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) was hidden in a motorcycle parked near the police vehicle.
Authorities rushed the injured to the Civil Hospital, where four victims remain in critical condition.
Six Killed, Three Abducted in Gwadar Attack
On Wednesday night, suspected insurgents ambushed a passenger bus in Gwadar district, offloading six individuals from Punjab before executing them. The attack occurred on the Ormara highway, where armed men stopped a Karachi-bound bus near Kalmat and selectively targeted passengers after checking their identity cards.
Five victims died on the spot, while one succumbed to injuries at a hospital on Thursday morning, raising the death toll to six. Three passengers were also abducted by the assailants, who later disappeared into the mountainous terrain.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hafeez Baloch stated that no group has claimed responsibility, but past incidents suggest the involvement of ethnic Baloch insurgent groups, which have targeted people from Punjab before.
Escalating Insurgent Attacks in Balochistan
In addition to these attacks, militants blocked highways and torched three urea-laden trailers from Gwadar port. Security forces launched operations to clear the roads and apprehend the attackers.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the killings, with Zardari stating that terrorists “cannot tolerate development and prosperity in Balochistan.” Shehbaz Sharif assured that the injured would receive the best medical treatment and vowed that “anti-state elements will not succeed in their designs.”
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the killings as a “heinous and cowardly act,” pledging that the fight against hardcore terrorists would continue.
Other Attacks Amid Rising Violence
Balochistan has witnessed a series of deadly attacks in recent weeks.
- Earlier this month, terrorists from the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) hijacked the Jaffar Express, taking 440 passengers hostage. The ordeal ended with 26 hostages killed, including 18 security personnel, before Pakistani forces neutralized 33 terrorists and rescued 354 hostages.
- Armed assailants killed seven members of the same family, including three children, in the Sohbat area of Naseerabad over a land dispute.
- Four policemen and four laborers were gunned down in separate incidents earlier this week.
- On March 17, a grenade attack injured five people, including four children, at a police officer’s residence.
- A day earlier, a paramilitary convoy in Noshki district was attacked, leaving five dead, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, and 30 injured.
Balochistan’s Ongoing Insurgency
Bordering Iran and Afghanistan, Balochistan has long been plagued by insurgent violence. Baloch militant groups frequently target security forces, government projects, and the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure projects in this resource-rich province.
Sources By Agencies
