One killed, 27 injured in Quetta clashes: Reaction to arrest
By Saleem Shahid
QUETTA, Sept 6: A police constable was killed and 27 people, including 18 police personnel, were injured when an armed group hurled hand grenades and opened fire in an area on the Sariab Road here on Tuesday.
“The police constable who was injured by grenade splinters succumbed to his injuries on the spot,” hospital sources said, and added that the condition of at least two police personnel was serious.
Reliable sources said that the activists of the Raisani Qaumi Ittihad (RSI) blocked the National Highway, which links Quetta with Karachi, at the Sariab Road in protest against the arrest of their party leader, Wadood Raisani, who was sent to jail by the authorities under MPO 16 the other day.
Traffic was suspended between Quetta and Karachi due to the National Highway being blocked by the protesters. The local administration and police officials held many rounds of talks with the protesters but they refused to budge till Wadood was released.
The police officials made another attempt to reopen the National Highway in the afternoon and held negotiations with the leaders of protesters. However, the talks remained fruitless.
Later, when the police officers were returning hand grenades were hurled upon them that exploded with a big bang. After the grenade explosions, heavy firing erupted in the area.
As a result of the grenade attack and firing a police constable, identified as Saeed Ahmed, was killed on the spot while 27 other people, including 18 police personnel, were injured. All the injured were rushed to the Civil Hospital Quetta.
The injured police personnel also included Superintendent of Police Wazir Khan Nasar, two DSPs, five police inspectors and sub-inspectors. Some passersby, including two children, were injured in the grenade attack and were also taken to the Civil Hospital.
“All the injured were hurt by grenade splinters,” Dr Farhan said and added that the condition of the majority of the injured persons was stable except two police officers who had received multiple injuries in the grenade explosion. Two police officials lost an eye each in the explosion.
“Armed people hurled two hand grenades at the police contingent deployed in the area,” Abdul Kabir, a police constable, told this correspondent and added that after the grenade attack heavy firing erupted in the area. Police fired shots in the air, he said.
The armed people escaped immediately after the incident as a consequence of which the highway was opened.
Balochistan Home Minister Mir Shoaib Nausherwani strongly condemned the incident and said that the government would fulfil its responsibilities in this regard and would not spare all those who were involved in the grenade attack and firing on police.
“Cases have been registered against the culprits as they were identified by the police and soon all of them will be sent behind bars,” Mir Nausherwani told reporters after visiting the injured police officials at the Civil Hospital.
Those injured include SP Wazir Khan Nasar, DSP Sardar Hasan, DSP Akbar Raisani, Inspector Abdul Rauf, Inspector Mohammad Khan, ASI Abdul Khaliq, ASI Rana Javed and police constable Nasir Ali.
