Our Correspondent Quetta
Two police personnel were martyred while many others sustained injuries when a powerful blast tar-geted their vehicle near a luxury hotel in Quetta on Sunday, officials said.
According to provincial government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani, a police van was targeted during the attack in which at least 18 people were also injured.
He said that the explosive material was planted in a motorcycle. The injured have been shifted to a local hospital. According to the provincial spokesperson, an emergency has been declared in the hospital.
While condemning the “heinous incident”, Shah-wani said that the terrorists want to dismantle the peaceful atmosphere in Balochistan. However, he added, those involved will be taken to task.
The police officials martyred during the blast were identified as Sepoy Niaz Ahmed, resident of Sibbi and Ali Akbar, a resident of Dera Bugti. MS Civil Hospital Quetta Dr Javed Akhtar said that among the 12 injured, five are police officials.
Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan, while condemning the incident, said that the terrorist elements wanted to destroy the peace of Balochistan. “We will never allow terrorists to succeed in their nefarious designs.”
He said that the people of the province stand behind the security forces to eradicate the scourge of terror-ism.
The chief minister also sought a report of the incident from the relevant authorities. He directed to provide the best possible health facilities to the victims of the blast.
The Counter-Terrorism Department spokesperson said that the police van was targeted via an improvised explosive device (IED) attached to a motorcycle.
