Adviser to CM Balochistan narrowly escapes blast in Quetta

Published December 2, 2014
Police and FC personnel are seen at a blast site in Quetta. - AFP/File
Police and FC personnel are seen at a blast site in Quetta. - AFP/File

QUETTA: Adviser to Chief Minister on Education Sardar Raza Mohammad Barech narrowly escaped an explosion on Quetta's Joint Road on Tuesday.

Police said two people were wounded in the blast targeting Barech's vehicle. The injured were rushed to Civil Hospital Quetta for medical treatment.

Barech, who belongs to the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMap), is an elected legislator in the Balochistan Assembly. He and his driver remained unhurt in the explosion.

The blast smashed the glasses of Barech's vehicle who later told reporters that he "had no enmity with anyone".

The explosives, which were remotely-detonated, had been planted close to a wall on Joint Road.

"As soon Barech's vehicle approached the spot, the explosives went off with a big bang," said Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti, who strongly condemned the incident and vowed to bring the perpetrators to book.

Bugti said there were no specific threats to the chief minister's adviser.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack.

Read: Polio workers boycott campaign in Balochistan as four gunned down

Earlier today, personnel from the police and Frontier Corps conducted a joint raid in Quetta's Eastern Bypass during which an encounter took place with suspected militants.

A militant allegedly involved in the November 26 attack on polio workers was killed in the subsequent exchange of gunfire.

Police sources said seven Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF) personnel were also injured during the clash and added that three suspects were also arrested from the area in connection with the attack on polio workers.

Police also claimed to have recovered arms and ammunition from the possession of detained suspects.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s resource-rich and largest province by area, suffers from an upsurge in sectarian violence and attacks by separatist militants.

Armed militants have targeted security forces and pro-government politicians for over seven years in the province which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

Opinion

Editorial

Back in parliament
Updated 27 Jul, 2024

Back in parliament

It is ECP's responsibility to set right all the wrongs it committed in the Feb 8 general elections.
Brutal crime
27 Jul, 2024

Brutal crime

No effort has been made to even sensitise police to the gravity of crime involving sexual assaults, let alone train them to properly probe such cases.
Upholding rights
27 Jul, 2024

Upholding rights

Sanctity of rights bodies, such as the HRCP, should be inviolable in a civilised environment.
Judicial constraints
Updated 26 Jul, 2024

Judicial constraints

The fact that it is being prescribed by the legislature will be questioned, given the political context.
Macabre spectacle
26 Jul, 2024

Macabre spectacle

Israel knows that regardless of the party that wins the presidency, America’s ‘ironclad’ support for its genocidal endeavours will continue.