Home Latest News Civilian, 8 Policemen Martyred in Bolan Suicide Bombing

Civilian, 8 Policemen Martyred in Bolan Suicide Bombing

At least 13 others wounded in blast targeting police van traveling from Sibi to Quetta

by Staff Report

File photo. Abdul Majeed—AFP

Eight Balochistan Constabulary personnel, and one civilian, were martyred and 13 others injured on Monday after a suspected suicide bomber rammed his motorcycle into a police van in the Bolan district of the restive province.

Kachhi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mehmood Notezai said the preliminary evidence suggested the attacker had been a suicide bomber; this was later confirmed in a press conference by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah. According to Notezai, a bomb disposal squad had reached the site of the incident, the area had been cordoned off, and a search operation was underway. He also said three of the injured were in critical condition and had been shifted to hospital in Quetta.

According to a statement from police, the police van had been traveling from Sibi—where the personnel were providing security for a cultural festival—to Quetta when it was targeted on the Kambri Bridge.

According to the Balochistan Information Department, a government helicopter flew the injured officers to Quetta from Bolan. It said an emergency had been imposed at hospitals across the provincial capital in light of the incident.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing as yet, but there has been a resurgence of terrorism across Pakistan over the past year, particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan had formalized a nexus with Baloch separatists groups.

Condemning the incident, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo vowed that the elements involved in terrorism were seeking “nefarious goals” through cowardly actions. “A conspiracy is being hatched to keep the province from progressing by creating unrest and instability,” he said, adding that all these conspiracies would be foiled with the support of the people. He also offered condolences to the families of the martyred.

In a separate statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said terrorism in Balochistan was part of a “nefarious agenda to destabilize” the country. He also paid tribute to the valor of the martyred policemen.

The interior minister, meanwhile, expressed grief over the loss of lives. “We pay tribute to those who embraced martyrdom for the safety of the country,” he said, offering condolences to the families of the martyrs and prayers for speedy recovery of the injured. Stressing that the entire nation stood with the security forces, he said he had sought a report on the attack from the relevant authorities.

Balochistan Governor Abdul Wali Kakar also condemned the blast and expressed deep grief for the people martyred.

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