At least sixteen people were killed and 30 injured on Saturday in a blast at Quetta Railway Station, a police officer said.
The incident comes a week after a bomb blast near a girl’s school and a hospital in Balochistan’s Mastung district killed eight people, including five children.
Pakistan, particularly the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, has seen a sharp uptick in terrorism-related incidents over the past year.
Quetta Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Mohammad Baloch confirmed the death toll of the railway blast while speaking to reporters today.
He further said that the incident “seems to be a suicide blast” but it would be too early to say for sure, adding that an investigation was underway to ascertain the nature of the blast.
Speaking to reporters, SSP Baloch further said that “around 100 people” were present at the site, according to footage seen by him. He added that at the time of the explosion, a train was reportedly ready to depart from the platform for Peshawar.
Earlier, Edhi Rescue Service head Zeeshan said that the blast “occurred at a platform inside the railway station”.
The banned militant group Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the blast.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind, in a statement, said police and security forces had reached the site of the incident.
Rind said the nature of the blast was being investigated as the Bomb Disposal Squad was collecting evidence from the site and a report had been sought on the incident.
An ‘emergency’ has been imposed in hospitals there, the government official stated, adding that the “injured were being provided with medical aid”.
Footage run by Dawn News of the incident site showed rubble at the railway station’s platform.
‘Continuation of targeting innocent people’
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the incident, saying it was a “continuation of targeting innocent people”.
In a statement, CM Bugti said, “The terrorists’ target now are innocent people, labourers, children and women. Those targeting innocent people do not deserve mercy.”
According to the statement, the chief minister has ordered an investigation into the blast and contacted top officials in Balochistan.
CM Bugti further said: “Terrorists are not eligible to be called humans. They have fallen from humanity; they are worse than animals.”
Stating that “elements involved in various terrorist incidents” in the past have been traced, he vowed that the perpetrators behind the railway blast would be caught as well.
CM Bugti reiterated the government’s resolve to continue operations against terrorists and pursue them. “We will root out terrorism from Balochistan,” he asserted.
Rise in terrorism
In 2023, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations. Overall fatalities, including those of outlaws, mark a record six-year high.
Terror attacks declined by 24 per cent in September compared to August, but they witnessed surges in August and July, according to monthly security reports.
On September 25, at least two policemen were among a dozen people injured by a bomb attack that targeted a police vehicle in Quetta.
Days later, terrorists armed with automatic weapons stormed an under-construction house in Panjgur, killing seven labourers hailing from Multan.
The next day, armed men attacked the camp of a private construction company in the Musakhel district, torching the machinery and vehicles there. No casualties were reported.
Last month, three security personnel were martyred and four others were injured in a roadside bomb blast in Balochistan’s Kalat area.
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.
