A powerful blast in Turbat, Balochistan, on Saturday left four people dead and 32 injured, police reported. Among the injured, five individuals are in critical condition. The exact cause of the explosion is yet to be determined.
CCTV footage captured the moment when a passenger bus was engulfed in flames following the explosion. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Serious Crime Wing, Zohaib Mohsin, was among the injured. Six members of his family, traveling with him at the time, also sustained injuries.
Security sources revealed that the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack. The deceased have been identified as Noor Khan, Abdul Wahab, Ijaz, and Liaquat Ali, all civilians from different areas of Balochistan.
The attack highlights the BLA’s continued targeting of civilians. Security officials disclosed that over 100 innocent Baloch civilians have been killed by the group in the past year.
This is not the first such incident in the area. Last month, an IED blast in the Dasht area of Turbat claimed two lives and injured four others, also damaging a vehicle.
According to the Center for Research and Security Studies’ 2024 Annual Security Report, Balochistan accounted for 782 deaths out of Pakistan’s total of 2,546 fatalities last year. The rise in terrorist activity has coincided with the Taliban’s return to power in neighboring Afghanistan.
Condemnations Pour In
President Asif Ali Zardari expressed sorrow over the incident, praying for the injured and reaffirming the government’s commitment to eradicating terrorism.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, stating that the government and security forces remain steadfast in their resolve to eliminate terrorism. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Governor Kamran Tessori also denounced the attack, terming it a barbaric act against innocent civilians.
