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QUETTA, May 7: Three people, including a police constable, were injured in a bomb explosion at the bicycle stand of the Balochistan High Court here on Friday, police said.
"The bomb was planted in a bicycle parked at the stand," SP City Qazi Abdul Wahid said and added that the injured constable was present at the stand when the blast took place.
According to sources, the explosion occurred at around 10.30am when hundreds of people were present in the court building. The blast was so powerful that it jolted the court building and the nearby provincial assembly building. The sound of the blast was heard in many parts of the city.
The assembly was in session when the bomb exploded. Windowpanes of nearby buildings were shattered due to the impact of the blast while three cars parked near the bicycle stand were damaged. The wreckage of the parked cycles scattered over a 100-yard area, police said.
The injured, police constable Mohammad Zaman Pirkani, and two passersby - Nazir Ahmed Shah and Faisal Mehmood - who received splinters of the explosive device, were taken to the Civil Hospital. The condition of the police constable was stated to be satisfactory.
Soon after the explosion senior police officers and local authorities reached the spot and started investigations. "An unknown man had parked his bicycle 25 minutes before the blast," said a police officials, adding that the man was issued token No.
50 by the police constable who was posted at the bicycle stand. "It was a locally-made device equipped with a timer," the official said and added that the bomb was hidden in a bag.
Police have registered a case against an unknown person and a hunt has been launched for his arrest. However, no arrest has so far been reported. Chief Minister Jam Yousuf and Balochistan High Court Chief Justice Raja Fayyaz Ahmed visited the bicycle stand and inspected the damage caused by the explosion.
SABOTAGE PLAN: Chief Minister Jam Yusuf has termed the blast an attempt to sabotage an investment conference due to held in city on Saturday. The hotel, where conference is scheduled to be held, is situated opposite the high court building.
The chief minister announced that the conference would be held according to programme and there was no plan to postpone it. Talking to newsmen after visiting the blast site, Jam Yousuf said a link between Gwadar and Quetta bomb explosions could not be ruled out as people involved in these acts were against the development and prosperity of the people of Balochistan.
Replying to a question, he ruled out involvement of Al Qaeda and Taliban or any other foreign hand in the Gwadar blast and said local people were involved in this terrorist act.
The chief minister said that one Khalid Kurd was involved in the Gwadar blast and added that many other people were also under investigation. He said the government would make public the investigation report as soon as it was completed.
MEETING: Meanwhile, the chief minister presided over a meeting after the Quetta blast and ordered immediate transfer of officers and other staff of all police stations of Quetta who had been working on their posts since long.
He directed that security arrangements should be strengthened and more force should be deployed at all places of worship, government buildings, important installations and public places.
Meanwhile, a powerful blast exploded near the railway reservation office on Thursday night, but caused no injuries. The glass wall of the reservation office and windowpanes of the station building were smashed.
According to police officials, the bomb was locally-made with a timer fixed to it. A case has been registered in this regard, however, no arrest has been made so far. A heavy contingent of district and railway police had been deployed in and around the railway station after the blast.
