Suicide blast reported near BNP-M rally in Mastung
MASTUNG: A suicide bomber reportedly tried to target a Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) rally near the Lak Pass of Mastung, police said on Saturday.
According to officials, volunteers stationed near the protest site intercepted a suspicious individual. Upon being stopped for a search, the suspect detonated explosives.
The nature of the blast and the extent of the damage are being assessed.
The incident comes as the country’s largest province, in terms of land covered, has been witnessing deteriorating law and order with various terrorist attacks in recent weeks.
At least five passengers were killed when armed men offloaded and executed them after intercepting a Karachi-bound bus in Gwadar’s Kalmat area.
The attack came days after terrorists killed at least eight people— four labourers and four police personnel in Kalat and Noshki districts last week.
Moreover, recently at least five people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers, were martyred and 35 others wounded in an explosion on a paramilitary convoy on the Nushki-Dalbandin highway.
Before that, dozens of militants, affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), blew up a railway track and assaulted Jaffar Express, carrying more than 440 passengers — who were taken hostage.
The security forces, after a complex clearance operation, neutralised 33 attackers and rescued the hostage passengers.
Apart from five operational casualties, as many as 26 passengers were martyred by the terrorists, of which 18 were security personnel belonging to the Pakistan Army and the Frontier Corps (FC), three were officials from Pakistan Railways and other departments, and five were civilians.
Also, three FC personnel were martyred in the militants’ attack targeting a picket before the train ambush.
The province is also facing socio-political turmoil following the arrest of Balcoh Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders including Dr Mahrang Baloch — currently held at the Quetta District Jail under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance — for alleged involvement in a chaotic attack on the Civil Hospital and forcibly taking the bodies of attackers from the Jaffer Express train bombing.
The BYC leaders face various charges including terrorism, murder, attempted murder, incitement to violence and rebellion, creating disorder, promoting racial hatred and damaging property.