Four policemen were martyred while 11 others were injured in a blast in Quetta’s Mini Market area on Monday.
The blast took place near a police mobile which was also damaged in the explosion. Soon after the attack, security forces arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Quetta Abdul Razzak Cheema confirmed the death toll and said that explosives were planted in a motorbike. He said that the explosion targeted police personnel, adding that the crime scene had been secured and investigations were ongoing.
The injured were taken to Civil Hospital for medical treatment emergency was declared. Medical Superintendent (MS) Dr Saleem confirmed that four policemen embraced martyrdom in the wake of the incident.
He said that 11 wounded persons were brought to the hospital, out of which two were in a precarious condition.
Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan condemned the blast and expressed over the loss of lives in its wake. “Efforts are being made to sabotage peace under a wicked conspiracy,” he said in a statement. “Those creating instability would be fought back with full force.”
The chief minister vowed to improve security arrangements by reviewing them altogether. He also directed concerned authorities to provide best medical facilities to the wounded persons.
The blast comes only two days after three terrorists stormed the Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar.
Four hotel employees ─ three staffers and a security guard ─ were killed and a navy soldier was martyred, while six people ─ including two army captains, two navy soldiers, and two hotel employees ─ were injured as gunmen stormed the luxury hotel.
The attackers were killed by the security forces during the clearance operation which went on for hours. Upon the completion of the clearance operation, the security officials retained the bodies of the terrorists for identification.
The attack was claimed by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army.
In the aftermath of Gwadar attack, the Balochistan government tightened security across the province. Chief Minister Jam Kamal chaired a high-level meeting today to review security arrangements in Gwadar and other parts of the province.
The army’s media wing thanked the media for its responsible reportage during the operation, which “denied the terrorists of possible live updates” and “facilitated the security forces in smooth execution of the operation”.
Last week, five policemen belonging to the Elite Force unit were martyred when a suicide bomber exploded next to a police vehicle near the Data Darbar in Lahore.
