News Desk |
A massive bomb rippled through police patrolling vehicle at a bustling traffic circle in Quetta on late Tuesday evening, claiming five lives, of which two were police officials. The blast, targeting the police vehicle parked outside the City Police Station at Quetta’s Bacha Khan Chowk, left 32 severely injured.
Briefing the media on the situation, DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema revealed that the attack had targeted the police, and two policemen were martyred, while multiple were injured, including Additional SHO Shafaat Ali. DIG Cheema said, “The bomb ticked off as soon as SHO Shafaat stepped out of the van.”
Jam Kamal Khan, and the members of his cabinet, condemned the blast targeting police officials, and expressed their grief over the loss of innocent lives.
Powerful Explosion rocks Quetta
A powerful explosion rippled through the police patrolling vans, shattering nearby windows, and killing five people in its wake. The heart-wrenching footage of the blast, shared by multiple eye-witnesses, is circulating across social media, gripping the country in horror over the grave loss of life.
Read more: Gwadar PC terror attack: Yesterday’s “Missing Person” is today’s terrorist?
CCTV footage of #QuettaBlast pic.twitter.com/NAXbLbEuzW
— Ghalib Nehad (@ghalib_nehad) July 30, 2019
DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema noted that it was still premature to confirm whether the blast was detonated through a remotely triggered bomb, or if it was a suicide attack. He noted that investigators from the Counter-Terrorism Department and Bomb Disposal Squad had gathered the required forensic evidence from the blast site to identify the details and engineering of the explosive.
Strongly condemn #QuettaBlast which killed 4. Sympathies & condolences to the bereaved families. It’s very painful to bear loss of loved ones. May Allah give them patience. Ameen pic.twitter.com/RRQvv6rxRp
— Faiz Muhammad Marri (@FaizAliMari) July 30, 2019
Until the investigation is complete, the entrance to the blast site has been denied for media and other unauthorized individuals. The injured were immediately rescued and taken to nearby hospitals, while the law enforcement agencies led a search and cordon operation.
Read more: Terror attack in Loralai: 3 suicide bombers killed, 1 policeman martyred
https://twitter.com/JaamKausar/status/1156231829613096965
DIG Quetta confirmed that five individuals have been martyred in the blast, of which two were policemen and three civilians, passing by the vehicle when the bomb went off. The injured, including women and children, have been shifted to Quetta’s Civil Hospital.
https://twitter.com/iamkhanani999/status/1156226309930008582
Additional SHO Shafaat was moved to the Trauma Center, where he is under observation as his condition remains critical. Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the heinous terror attack, and the loss of innocent lives. He ordered the authorities to ensure that the injured are provided with the best medical care facilities.
Read more: Triple attack rocks Baluchistan as hybrid war against CPEC heats up
Graphic warning. Aftermath of an explosion outside police station in Quetta.#Quettablast pic.twitter.com/bCPU03ffMp
— Imam Azam Kakar (@imampanezai) July 30, 2019
RAW-Funded Hostile Agencies
No terror group has come forward to claim responsibility for the heinous terror attack in Balochistan’s provincial capital, a city that has been marred with violent and barbaric waves of sectarian and violence, and Baloch militancy for over a decade.
#Breaking: #QuettaBlast – Approximately 4 dead and 32 injured in an explosion at Bacha Khan Chowk near city police station in #Quetta.
My heartfelt condolences to the family of the Shaheeds, this is an attack on #Pakistan – #CPEC and the development at #Gwadar port. Sad times!— Zain Khan (@ZKhanOfficial) July 30, 2019
Military circles and diplomatic sources have leveled the blame on hostile agencies, primarily India’s premier spy agency, RAW, for sowing the seed of terrorism in Balochistan, in a bid to undermine the growth of South Asia’s most anticipated development project, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
Pakistan’s suspicions were cemented after the arrest of a serving Indian navy commander, Kulbhushan Jadav, arrested from Balochistan in March 2016, using the alias Hussein Mubarak Patel with a valid Indian passport. Jadhav’s voluntary confessions about RAW’s sponsoring of terrorist and terror network provided credibility to the claims levelled against India by the Pakistani security agencies.
The blast, targeting the police vehicle parked outside the City Police Station at Quetta’s Bacha Khan Chowk, left 32 severely injured.
Addressing the press, the Balochistan Home Minister, Mir Zia Langove, noted that the government will not be rattled with such cowardly and heinous attacks. He stressed that the authorities are determined to achieve their goals of ridding the province free from the scourge of terrorism.
He noted, “It is important to initiate a Safe City Project to strengthen security regulations in Quetta. The completion of the Pak-Afghan border fencing will also eliminate accessibility for the terrorist.”
Read more: ‘Baluchistan Post’ fabricates story of attack on FC Personnel
The Balochistan Chief Minister, Jam Kamal Khan, and the members of his cabinet condemned the blast targeting police officials and expressed their grief over the loss of innocent lives. During the cabinet session, Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan vowed to put an end to the terror networks and their abettors and stressed that such cowardly attacks will not weaken Pakistan’s determination to eliminate terrorism from Balochistan.
PTI MNA, Abdul Aleem Khan, also condemned the attack and reiterated that attempts to derail peace in Pakistan will prove unfruitful. Aleem Khan tweeted, “Terrorism is the language of the cowards. Strongly condemn the blast in Quetta. My prayers for the victims & condolences to their families. Attempts to disrupt the peace of our country will never be successful.”
Terrorism is the language of the cowards.
Strongly condemn the blast in Quetta. My prayers for the victims & condolences to their families.
Attempts to disrupt the peace of our country will never be successful.— Abdul Aleem Khan (@abdul_aleemkhan) July 30, 2019
Jan Achakzai, Chairman of the Center for Geo-Politics and Balochistan, observed that the bomb had been planted in the police patrolling vehicle, and Quetta is repetitively targeted because of its vulnerabilities, primarily its porous borders and “huge black economy”.
Quetta bleeds again: 4 martyrs, more death tolls feared. Busy city centre hit.
Terrorism in new manifestation: job sub let; bomb planted.
Quetta vulnerable due 2 porous borders at 2 hours drive; huge black economy;
— Jan Achakzai / جان اچکزئی (@Jan_Achakzai) July 30, 2019