Four people have been killed and five injured in a bomb blast at a PTI rally in Balochistan’s Sibi on Tuesday, according to officials.
An update from District Headquarters Hospital Sibi’s Medical Superintendent Dr Babar and District Health Officer Imran Baloch said four people were killed and five people were injured.
Earlier, Sibi Station House Office (SHO) Zakaullah Gujjar said two people were killed and at least seven were injured in the blast at the city’s Jinnah Road.
The police official said the injured were being moved to Civil Hospital Sibi for medical treatment, adding that the condition of most of them was serious and there were fears of a rise in the deaths.
“Security forces reached the spot and immediately surrounded it after receiving news of the incident,” he said, adding that the bomb disposal squad was collecting evidence from the crime scene.
Balochistan Health Secretary Abdullah Khan Noorzai imposed an emergency in all hospitals of Quetta and Sibi in the wake of the incident, according to a statement from the provincial health department.
“Instructions have been issued to Sibi’s medical superintendent to provide the best healthcare facilities to patients. All doctors and staff are instructed to be present on duty immediately,” the statement said.
It added that instructions were issued to increase the security of hospitals to tackle any untoward situation and to gather medicines, medical equipment, lab necessities, and ample stock of blood.
Separately, a clearance operation is also under way against militants in Mach. Interim provincial information minister Jan Achakzai earlier said that seven militants were killed after security forces thwarted three terror attacks in the town last night.
The incidents come with the February 8 general elections just nine days away.
Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan after the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.
According to an annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 — marking a record six-year high.
KP and Balochistan were the primary centres of violence, accounting for over 90 per cent of all fatalities and 84pc of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
