Three die in Quetta fruit market bomb explosion

QUETTA: Three people died and seven were injured when a remote-controlled bomb exploded here on Sunday, police said. The Pakistan Democratic Movement was holding its political rally in the city when the blast occurred, Geo News reported.

According to police, it took place at the Hazarganji fruit market on the outskirts of Quetta, where terrorists had planted explosives in a motorcycle. Preliminary investigations revealed that explosives weighing four to five kilogrammes were used in the attack.

Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan condemned the incident and said that terrorist elements seek to shatter the peace of Quetta in a bid to achieve their nefarious aims. The chief minister directed authorities to provide the best medical facilities to the injured.

Two days earlier, the Balochistan government had urged the PDM leadership to delay its October 25 rally in Quetta, citing security concerns. "Terrorists are targeting political leadership in Balochistan," said Liaquat Shahwani, the Balochistan government spokesperson, during a news conference.

Shahwani's comments came after the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) in Islamabad issued a threat alert for Peshawar and Quetta, saying that banned militant outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is planning terrorist activities in the two cities. A statement by the authority said that the TTP aims to target religious and political parties in bomb attacks and suicide bombings.