QUETTA, PAKISTAN:
A powerful explosion in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s Balochistan province, has resulted in the deaths of at least ten people and left thirty-two others wounded. Authorities have denounced the incident as a “terrorist attack,” with the President later calling it a “suicide attack.”
Balochistan Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar confirmed the toll, stating that the injured have been transported to the Civil Hospital and Trauma Centre. Civil Lines Police Station House Officer (SHO) Ameen Jaffar separately confirmed that “eight bodies were brought to the Civil Hospital after the blast.”
According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Special Operations Quetta, Muhammad Baloch, the blast “took place when a vehicle turned from Model Town towards Hali Road, close to the Frontier Corps (FC) headquarters.” Footage shared on television and social media captured the moment the powerful explosion ripped through the street, underscoring the severity of the attack.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the incident, labelling it a “terrorist attack.” A post on the Balochistan government’s ‘X’ account quoted him as saying that following the incident, “security forces gave a swift and effective response, eliminating four terrorists.”
Chief Minister Bugti asserted that “terrorists cannot weaken the nation’s resolve through cowardly acts,” and that the “sacrifices of the people and security forces will not go in vain.” He expressed solidarity with the families of the victims, while praying for the recovery of the injured. Later, speaking at an event in Quetta, he confirmed that “an operation against the terrorists is under way.”
President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, termed the incident a “suicide attack,” strongly condemning the act by ‘Fitna-al-Khawarij’—a term the state uses for terrorists from the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—who he said were “acting on India’s agenda.” The President commended the security forces for their “timely and effective response,” which he said foiled the terrorists’ “malicious designs.”
In the wake of the explosion, the Balochistan Health Department imposed an emergency in hospitals across the capital, as confirmed by Health Secretary Mujeebur Rehman. An emergency was declared at the Quetta Civil Hospital, Balochistan Medical College Hospital, and the Trauma Centre, with all medical staff directed to remain present.
Visiting the Civil Hospital later, Health Minister Kakar noted that the condition of six injured people was critical. He condemned the blast, saying a “major terrorist plot was planned,” and added that most of the injured were civilians.
The security situation in Balochistan has deteriorated in recent months. Terrorist groups, involved in a long-running low-level insurgency, have ramped up the frequency and intensity of their attacks. The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), in particular, has adopted new tactics to inflict higher casualties and directly target Pakistani security forces.
