Blast kills three, injures 11 in Pakistan's restive southwest
QUETTA: At least three people were killed and 11 others wounded after an improvised explosive device (IED) exploded in a border district in Pakistan southwestern Balochistan province, a government official said on Sunday.
The blast took place inside a market next to a security forces camp in Gulistan town of Killa Abdullah district, located close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The explosives were planted on a vehicle and were detonated at around 8:30pm, according to Killa Abdullah Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Riaz Dawar.
'Majority of the shops inside the market were closed when the blast hit the market,' Dawar told Arab News.
'A wall of the security forces' camp was also partially damaged due to the intensity of the blast.'
The bodies and injured were shifted to hospital. Two of the wounded persons were brought to Trauma Center in Quetta who were in stable condition and undergoing treatment, according to Dr. Arbab Kamran Kasi.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Gulistan town that is situated close to Afghanistan's Kandahar province.
Pakistan is currently battling twin insurgencies: one led my religiously motivated groups, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), mainly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and the other by ethno-nationalist Baloch separatist groups in Balochistan.
The TTP and Daesh have also maintained some presence in Balochistan.
The latest attack comes two days after the TTP said it had targeted a security check post in Balochistan's Khuzdar that killed four members of the Levies paramilitary force.
In Jan. 2025, Pakistan's military said security forces had thwarted an attack on a paramilitary force' camp in Gulistan, killing two suicide bombers among five attackers.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Over 50 killed, dozens injured in accidents and shootings during Eid in northwest Pakistan
PESHAWAR: At least 55 people were killed and 50 others injured in various incidents across Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province during the three days of Eid Al-Adha, rescue officials said on Monday. The fatalities were reported in traffic accidents, drowning incidents, fires and gun violence across multiple districts, including the provincial capital, Peshawar. The injured were taken to local hospitals for medical treatment, according to a statement released by Rescue 1122. 'The total number of deaths across the province during the Eid holidays has reached 55,' Shah Fahad, Director General of Rescue 1122 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, said. 'Fifty others were injured in shooting incidents and provided emergency medical aid.' According to the data, Rescue 1122 responded to about 2,000 emergencies and provided medical assistance to 1,897 individuals across the province during Eid. These included 1,400 medical emergencies, 349 traffic accidents, 112 fire incidents, six drowning cases and 50 crime-related incidents. In Peshawar alone, the agency handled 418 emergency calls, including 43 road accidents, 338 medical cases, 20 fire incidents and eight gun-related injuries. A total of 431 patients were transported to hospitals in the city. District-wise, the highest number of fatalities was reported in Mardan (14) and Peshawar (13). Fire incidents on festive occasions in the province are often caused by barbecues or fireworks, while traffic accidents typically stem from congestion, reckless driving by youth and occasional road rage. Drowning incidents occur when people visit rivers or lakes for boating without adequate safety measures, and gun-related injuries often result from either criminal activity or celebratory gunfire.
Arab News
4 hours ago
- Arab News
India-Pakistan conflict threshold at historic low after military flare-up — Bhutto-Zardari
ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned on Monday the threshold for war between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan had significantly dropped following last month's military standoff during an interview with an international news outlet. India and Pakistan engaged in their most intense military exchange only a few weeks ago, prompting fears of a full-scale war under the nuclear overhang. Over four days, both countries traded missile strikes, drone attacks and air combat before US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on May 10. The crisis erupted after a militant assault killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. New Delhi blamed the attack on Pakistan-based elements, a charge Islamabad strongly denied, calling instead for an impartial international investigation. As the situation escalated, the global community moved quickly to ease tensions and avert the risk of a nuclear confrontation. 'At the moment, the threshold for conflict between India and Pakistan is the lowest than it's ever been in our history,' Bhutto-Zardari said in an interview with Sky News in London. 'We've achieved the ceasefire, but we have not achieved peace as it stands today.' 'If there's a terrorist attack anywhere in India or India-occupied Kashmir, proof or no proof, that means war,' he added. 'That's not a tenable situation. Pakistan believes there needs to be dialog and diplomacy, where we discuss all issues — terrorism, Kashmir, water — and start moving forward.' Bhutto-Zardari said Pakistan had long advocated peace through dialogue, as he pointed to India's refusal to engage diplomatically. He also criticized New Delhi's position on the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), a World Bank-brokered agreement signed in 1960 governing water rights over rivers shared by the two countries. While India has not stopped water flows entirely, he said, it had delayed releases, a tactic, which he noted, could devastate Pakistan's agricultural output. 'Even a week's delay in water supply can destroy crops in a country like Pakistan, which depends heavily on agriculture,' he said, warning that any move by India to build new canals or dams on rivers allocated to Pakistan would cross a red line. 'That would be war,' he said. Bhutto-Zardari further rejected the idea that Pakistan harbored militant groups involved in cross-border militancy, noting the country had taken significant action under the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) framework, a global watchdog that monitors money laundering and terrorism financing. 'When I was foreign minister, Pakistan was on the FATF grey list. By the end of my term, we had successfully moved off that list,' he said, calling the removal an endorsement by the international community of Pakistan's counterterrorism efforts. Responding to Indian claims over the recent Kashmir attack, he reiterated that Pakistan had no role in the incident and challenged New Delhi to present credible evidence if it had any. 'They went to war with a nuclear power and still cannot name a single terrorist involved,' he said. 'If India was being honest, we'd know who they were, where they came from, which border crossing they used. These are basic questions that remain unanswered.' Bhutto-Zardari is currently leading a nine-member Pakistani delegation to various world capitals to present Islamabad's position on the recent conflict with India. The delegation held meetings in recent days with representatives of the United Nations, its member states and US officials before arriving in London a day earlier to continue its mission.
Arab News
8 hours ago
- Arab News
Pakistan National Assembly speaker meets Saudi crown prince, urges deeper ties at Hajj luncheon
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Sunday at a luncheon hosted for Muslim leaders visiting the Kingdom for Hajj, expressing hope for even stronger ties between the two countries, according to an official statement. The meeting underscored a longstanding relationship rooted in economic, diplomatic and military cooperation. Saudi Arabia has repeatedly come to Pakistan's aid during financial crises, including through multibillion-dollar deposits in Pakistan's central bank and deferred oil payment facilities in the past. Such support has helped Islamabad shore up its foreign currency reserves and even unlock International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programs during periods of acute external financing pressure. 'Saudi Arabia has always stood by Pakistan in times of adversity,' Sadiq said during the meeting, thanking the crown prince for Riyadh's consistent backing. 'We hope that ties between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia will grow even stronger,' he added. According to the National Assembly, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reiterated his commitment to addressing challenges facing the Muslim world. The speaker's meeting follows a two-day trip to the Kingdom last week by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who performed Umrah alongside Army Chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and other senior officials. During the visit, Sharif thanked Saudi leadership for its role during last month's military standoff between Pakistan and India and praised Riyadh's efforts to promote regional and global stability. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have also been expanding their economic ties. In October last year, the two countries signed business-to-business agreements and memoranda of understanding worth $2.8 billion aimed at boosting trade and investment.
