One martyred, seven injured in Turbat blast

By News Desk

QUETTA: At least one person was martyred while seven others were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast that occurred in the Turbat district of Balochistan on Tuesday.

“The IED was fitted on a Honda CG125 motorcycle parked near an auto shop on main Turbat road,” officials told APP. One person standing near the bike died instantly when the IED exploded. Among the seven injured, two were said to be in critical condition, according to Geo News. A motorcycle near the site of the blast also caught fire. Windows of nearby buildings broke due to the intensity of the explosion.

Soon after the blast, security forces reached the site and shifted the injured to District Headquarters Hospital Turbat. Interior minister Ijaz Shah strongly condemned the blast. “The elements involved in such incidents are enemies of the country and deserved exemplary punishment,” he said. Shah added that improved law and order was upsetting the country’s enemies. “Terrorists will never be allowed to succeed in their nefarious designs,” he said. Balochistan Governor Amanullah Yasinzai and Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan also condemned the terror attack. The Governor said law and order had improved in Balochistan’s areas after security forces’ sacrifices and no one would be allowed to destabilise peace in the province.

Yasinzai also urged law enforcement agencies to take solid measures to bring to justice those involved in spreading terror in the area. The Chief Minister said with the support of people of Balochistan, the security forces were determined to take every possible step against the “anti-peace elements”.

Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said “cowardly acts of the anti-state elements cannot dwindle high spirits of our forces and people of the province”.