GWADAR: A girl injured in a mortar attack in the Hoshab area of the Kech district succumbed to her wounds in a hospital on Sunday, prompting her family and local residents to block the M-8 CPEC highway in protest.

Police said a mortar shell fired from an unknown location fell in a residential area the previous night, injuring five girls. The victims were shifted to the district hospital, where one girl, identified as Yasmeen, died after receiving serious injuries.

Following her death, her family, relatives, and local residents staged a protest on the M-8 road, blocking all traffic. Women and children participating in the demonstration carried placards and demanded an independent probe into the incident.

In a separate development, armed men blocked the highway and conducted checks on passing vehicles. Security forces rushed to the site and an exchange of fire took place, after which the armed men escaped.

Published in Dawn, December 1st, 2025