Dozens of paramilitary forces were injured in an explosion in the Noshki district of Balochistan a few days after the fatal train hijacking.
At least five officers and dozens of injured people have been killed when a roadside bomb exploded near a bus carrying security forces to Pakistan, police say. The attack occurs less than a week after a fatal train hijacking incident in the southwest.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) on Sunday claimed responsibility for the attack in Balochistan’s Noshki district. The separatist group was also behind the hijacking of a train where dozens of people were killed.
Police Chief of Hashim Momand’s Noshki district said more than 30 paramilitary members were injured in Sunday’s attack.
Another police officer, Zafar Zamanani, said the explosion had severely damaged another nearby bus. The dead and injured were taken to a nearby hospital.
Balochistan Prime Minister Sarhuraz Bhuguti condemned the attack and expressed his sadness over the loss of life. “People playing with the peace in Balochistan will fall into a tragic end,” Bhuguti said in an official press release.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif also condemned the attack. This is because Pakistan is dealing with the growing security crisis in areas adjacent to Afghanistan.
Kamal Haider of Al Jazeera said local sources told Al Jazeera that the attack was carried out on a fleet of at least eight buses carrying security personnel from Noshki to Taftan near the Iranian border.
“First, there was an improvised explosive device, then a fire from the attacker. Local sources say they are afraid of the death toll climb,” he said.
Independence from Pakistan
The incident occurred less than a week after the BLA ambushed Jaffar Express, took about 400 people to hostages and killed 26 people, including soldiers, before security forces began surgery and killed all 33 attackers.
Pakistan on Friday claimed that last week’s train hijacking was carried out by “terrorists” communicating with “Afghan handlers” while claiming India was the mastermind behind it.
“We must understand that in this terrorist attack in Balochistan and other previous incidents, the main sponsor is our Eastern neighbor. [India]”Ltd. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director of Military Media Wing Interservice Public Relations (ISPR), said at a press conference in Islamabad.
Balochistan has struggled with lack of safety for decades. The region has several armed groups, including the BLA, which are seeking full independence in Balochistan from Pakistan. Since 2006, the group has been banned by Pakistan and the United States and has been designated as a “terrorist” organization.
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province, home to around 15 million people. But despite its vast resources, it remains widely undeveloped. The Baroque people make up 3.6% of Pakistan’s population.
Ethnic Baroque residents have long been condemning discrimination by the central government. Islamabad denies it.
In Kyber Pakhtunkhwa, located in northern Balochistan and sharing a border with Afghanistan, state Prime Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has condemned a series of attacks on the provincial police.
He did not provide the number of casualties, but the Pakistani Taliban, known for the acronym for TTP, said there have been 16 attacks in the last 24 hours.
Police said at least two police officers and private security guards were killed in separate overnight attacks in Karak and Peshawar districts on Sunday.
Over the past few years, the country has seen an increase in attacks, including those claimed by the TTP, which is ideologically aligned with the Afghan Taliban.
These attacks last year killed more than 1,500 people in the country.
The Taliban deny any role in the attack.
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