QUETTA: One person was killed and four others, including a child, were injured in two separate explosions that took place at a check post on the western bypass and a flower shop selling national flags in Quetta on Thursday.

Senior police officer Rozi Khan, while confirming the blast, told Dawn that unknown motorcyclists att­a­cked at the security check post of Frontier Corps.

“One person was killed and two others, who were passers-by, suffered injuries in the grenade attack,” Mr Khan said, adding that the FC personnel remained unhurt in the attack.

Separately, the explosion targeting a national flag selling stall was the second incident within the last 24 hours in Quetta. A makeshift pushcart was targeted in the Joint Road area the other day, resulting in injuries to five people, including a woman who was selling the flags.

Rockets were also fired at security forces’ check posts in Turbat town of Kech district last night.

Officials said that a powerful explosion occurred within a flower shop, triggering subsequent explosions from blasting crackers being sold in the shop.

“Two persons, including a child, were injured in the blast,” said a police official. The explosion also led to fire in two adjacent shops, he added.

Upon arrival at the scene, the police cordoned off the area and shifted the injured to Civil Hospital. Initial rep­orts suggested a grenade att­ack on the national flag selling shop, but further examination by the Bomb Disposal Squad did not find evidence of a grenade explosion.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2023