Quetta, Aug 24
At least two children were killed and 14 others critically injured in a blast in Balochistan's Pishin district on Saturday, adding up to the latest string of attacks targetting security officials in the province.
The blast occurred during the busy morning hours at the main market near Surkhab Chowk of Pishin district. As per the eyewitnesses, the bomb was planted in a parked motorcycle. The explosion claimed lives of children and injured several others, including two women.
Pishin City Station House Officer (SHO) Mujibur Rehman confirmed that two policemen are also among those critically injured and have been referred to the Quetta hospital.
The area was cordoned off by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and the bomb disposal squad, who have started their investigations into the incident and are collecting evidence for further probe.
Local sources in Pishin also confirmed that the attack seemed to target police officials as the motorbike was parked near the office of Pishin Deputy Commissioner.
"The Deputy Commissioner’s office is very close to the site of the blast. And there is a presence of police officials in the surrounding area all through the day," said a resident of the area.
The latest incident is part of a series of attacks carried out by banned outfits like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and its affiliate organisations in different parts of Balochistan.
Similarly, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have also targetted Pakistani army and security personnel in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.