Two security guards were killed and one injured in a blast from an improvised explosive device (IED) targeting the convoy of Sardar Khan Rind — son of PTI MPA from Balochistan Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind — officials confirmed.

Dhadar Assistant Commissioner Fahad Shah Rashdi told Dawn.com that the convoy was targeted in the Sunny Shoran area of Bolan district.

“Two bodyguards were killed and one was injured in the IED blast while Sardar Khan Rind was unharmed in the blast,” he said, adding that the dead and the injured were moved to District Headquarters Hospital Dhadar for treatment.

Dhadar Station House Officer Shaukat also told Dawn.com much the same.

The PTI MPA corroborated the police official’s statement, saying: “There has been a blast [targeting] my elder son Sardar Khan Rind’s convoy. He is safe, although others in the convoy have been martyred and injured,” he said.

Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo condemned the incident and expressed regret over the loss of life and those injured.

He ordered that all resources be utilised to bring the culprits to justice. “The terrorist elements want to create an atmosphere of fear and panic. The law and order situation in the province will be maintained in any case,” he said.

Bizenjo also extended his condolences to the victims’ families and offered prayers for them.

Surge in terrorism

At least nine personnel of the Balochistan Cons­tabulary embraced martyrdom and 13 others were injured on Monday after a suicide bomber riding an explosives-laden motorbike struck a police truck on the Sukkur-Quetta Highway in Bolan district.

According to officials, the personnel were on their way back to Quetta after performing duties at the annual ‘Sibi Mela’ when the truck was targeted in the Dhadar area.

The impact of the powerful blast, which destroyed the vehicle, killed nine officials on the spot and left the rest wounded. Senior police officer Mehmood Khan Not­e­zai confirmed the suicide attack, while the Tehreek Jihad Pakistan, an unknown militant outfit, claimed responsibility for it.

Over the past few months, the law and order situation in the country has worsened, with terrorist groups executing attacks with near impunity across the country.

Since the talks with the banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) broke down in November, the militant group has intensified its attacks, particularly targeting the police in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and areas bordering Afghanistan. Insurgents in Balochistan have also stepped up their violent activities and formalised a nexus with the TTP.

According to statistics released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think-tank, January 2023 remained one of the deadliest months since July 2018, as 134 people lost their lives — a 139 per cent spike — and 254 received injuries in at least 44 militant attacks across the country.