Multiple attacks were reported across Balochistan on Thursday, with explosions and gun attacks causing numerous casualties and property damage.
According to the police, a bomb blast in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, resulted in one person’s death near the police post on Sabzal Road. The identity of the deceased has not yet been ascertained.
Two consecutive explosions occurred on Qambarani Road in Quetta, targeting the PML-N election office and a Police Eagle Force vehicle. Unidentified individuals used hand grenades on the PML-N office and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on the Eagle Forces vehicle. No casualties were reported, but the Eagle Forces vehicle sustained severe damage.
Following the attacks on election candidates, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has taken notice and requested an immediate report from the Chief Secretary and IG Balochistan.
In another incident, unidentified gunmen attacked a trawler carrying precious stones on the N-25 highway from Karachi to Quetta in the Mangochar area of Kalat. This marks the second attack on natural resource exploration companies on the same highway within the last 24 hours.
Additionally, a hand grenade was hurled at the main gate of the Pakistan Coast Guards’ office, which did not explode. The bomb disposal squad diffused the grenade.
An unidentified individual also hurled a hand grenade at the Central Jail in Mastung district, injuring a soldier named Sepoy Mudasir, who has been taken to the hospital.
Furthermore, a hand grenade was lobbed at the Deputy Commissioner (FC) office in the Chitkan area of Panjgur, causing no casualties.
In Dukki district, unidentified armed men attacked a coal mine site and abducted two miners, identified as Masood and Haider, residents of Paktia, Afghanistan. The miners expressed concern over the incident and confirmed that the attackers had also threatened them to immediately stop working on the mine site.
Separately, unidentified armed men attacked an outpost of Pakistan forces in Noshki district.
Six additional attacks were reported in different parts of the Kech district, targeting Pakistani forces’ positions on Thursday.
In Turbat city, a grenade attack on an FC post at Ghulam Nabi Chowk reportedly injured one Frontier Corps (FC) soldier.
Unidentified armed men launched four separate attacks on Pakistani forces outposts in Shepchar of Mand, Ginnah, Sami Kalag, and Gwarkop of Kech district. Reports indicate losses of life and property to the forces in these attacks, but authorities have not issued a statement yet.
Meanwhile, more than ten rockets were fired towards a Pakistani forces post in Hoshap area of Kech, with reliable sources confirming heavy casualties suffered by the forces.
Another explosion took place on the national highway in the Dera Allah Yar area of Jafarabad district, injuring four people in a cracker blast who were subsequently taken to the hospital.
In the last 24 hours, over 29 attacks have taken place on the Pakistani army, election candidates, and natural resources exploration companies in different districts of Balochistan, including Quetta, Khuzdar, Kech, Panjgur, Dukki, Kalat, Noshki, Mastung, and Hub Chowki. No group has claimed responsibility for these attacks thus far.