QUETTA, March 28: Railway traffic between the city and the rest of the country was suspended for several hours on Friday after a portion of the main track was blown up by saboteurs near the Degree College.

“Three to four feet portion of the line was blown up,” police said.

Pakistan Railways officials said that Quetta-bound trains from Punjab, Sindh and the NWFP were stopped at different stations and outgoing trains also did not leave. Railway engineers and other staff replaced the damaged line and restored traffic in the afternoon.

Meanwhile, a gas pipeline was blown up on the outskirts of the city causing suspension of gas supply to various parts of the provincial capital. Sui Southern Gas Company sources said the damaged pipeline was being repaired.

Meanwhile, two people were injured when some people hurled a hand-grenade on a house in Hub.

Militants attacked checkposts of security forces in Dera Bugti and Kahan areas of the Kohlu district.

Official sources said 22 rockets were fired on checkposts in different areas. However, they said, the rockets landed in open places areas. Beebargh Baloch, spokesman for the banned Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Calling from an unknown place on a satellite phone, he claimed that the security forces had suffered losses in the attacks.

He also said that the BLA was behind the killing of traffic head-constable in the city’s Liaquat Bazar area on Thursday.