Balochistan health minister survives rocket attack in Panjgur

Published July 6, 2017
QUETTA: Balochistan Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch addresses a press conference.—APP/File
QUETTA: Balochistan Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch addresses a press conference.—APP/File

Unidentified assailants attacked the convoy of Balochistan Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch in Panjgur town on Thursday, officials said, with the minister and his aides remaining unharmed in the incident.

The minister's convoy was targeted while he was travelling to Prom area from Panjgur, Assistant Commissioner Panjgur Abdul Jabbar said.

Levies sources said the militants used various weapons including rockets in the attack. However, the assailants escaped the scene when Levies personnel opened retaliatory fire.

Upon receiving reports of the incident, Levies and Frontier Corps (FC) officials sealed the area and started a search operation.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.

Rehmat Saleh Baloch, who belongs to National Party, was elected a member of Balochistan Assembly in the general elections of 2013.

Balochistan has been experiencing incidents of violence and targeted killings for over a decade.

The largest province of the country by area, it is home to a low-level insurgency by ethnic Baloch separatists. Al Qaeda-linked and sectarian militants also operate in the region. The province shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran.

Earlier in May, 28 people were killed when a suicide bomber targeted the convoy of Senate Deputy Chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri in Balochistan's Mastung area.

Opinion

Editorial

Return to the helm
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Return to the helm

With Nawaz Sharif as PML-N president, will we see more grievances being aired?
Unvaxxed & vulnerable
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Unvaxxed & vulnerable

Even deadly mosquito-borne illnesses like dengue and malaria have vaccines, but they are virtually unheard of in Pakistan.
Gaza’s hell
Updated 28 Apr, 2024

Gaza’s hell

Perhaps Western ‘statesmen’ may moderate their policies if a significant percentage of voters punish them at the ballot box.
Missing links
Updated 27 Apr, 2024

Missing links

As the past decades have shown, the country has not been made more secure by ‘disappearing’ people suspected of wrongdoing.
Freedom to report?
27 Apr, 2024

Freedom to report?

AN accountability court has barred former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife from criticising the establishment...
After Bismah
27 Apr, 2024

After Bismah

BISMAH Maroof’s contribution to Pakistan cricket extends beyond the field. The 32-year old, Pakistan’s...