2 policemen martyred, 1 injured in bomb blast near Quetta

Two policemen were martyred and another injured in a planted bomb blast targeting officials in Kuchlak town near Quetta on Saturday, police said.

Speaking to the media, Quetta’s Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Azhar Rashid said that the explosives were planted at the site of the incident beforehand and they exploded as soon as the police vehicle arrived.

“Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Zainuddin and gunman Mohammad Tahir embraced martyrdom whereas the driver got injured and was moved to Mufti Mehmood Memorial Hospital”, DSP Rashid said.

After receiving medical aid, the driver was shifted to a trauma centre in Quetta, the DSP added.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the explosion and paid tribute to the martyred officials, expressing heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the family.

“The eternal sacrifices of Balochistan Police, levies and security forces against terrorism cannot be neglected,” Bugti said in a press release, adding that the government will only rest once terrorists and their facilitators have been eliminated.

“The entire country is standing alongside the brave forces in the war against terrorism,” he said.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also paid tribute to the two martyred officers and expressed heartfelt sympathies and condolences for the family of the deceased.

He prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured driver and saluted the sacrifice.

“Balochistan Police has made eternal sacrifices in the war against terrorism,” Naqvi said, according to a statement from his office.

He added that the unwavering determination to fight terrorism could not be defeated.

“This war is the entire country’s war and, with the support of the people, will continue until the end of the last terrorist and facilitator,” Naqvi said.

Rise in terror attacks

Pakistan experienced an increase in terrorist attacks in August as a total of 59 terrorist attacks occurred countrywide compared to 38 attacks in the previous month, according to a digital database maintained by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamabad-based think-tank.

In the latest flare-up of violence, dozens of militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — a separatist outfit — launched numerous attacks on midnight of August 25 across Balochistan, targeting security personnel as well as civilians.

At least 50 people, including 14 security men, lost their lives as militants went on a rampage across the province, storming police stations, blowing up railway tracks, and setting fire to almost three dozen vehicles. In response, security forces neutralised 21 militants.

Among those killed were 23 people in Musakhail, mostly labourers from Punjab, who were offloaded from trucks and vans and shot dead after an identity check.

Following the incident, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir vowed that the war against terrorism would “continue until the elimination of all terrorists”.

“To fight for the cause of Pakistan, the security forces, along with the law enforcement agencies, and the brave people of Pakistan — especially the brave people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan — have made unprecedented sacrifices,” he said.

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