A member of the bomb disposal unit surveys the site after a motorcycle bomb blast near a police station in Quetta

QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Five people including two policemen were killed and 27 injured in a blast near a police station in southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Tuesday evening, a week after a similar blast that killed two people, police said.

An explosive rigged motorcycle was detonated to target a police van parked outside the police station in the heart of Quetta’s busy shopping area, the city police chief said.

“Five people have been killed, including two policemen,” Abdul Razzaq Cheema, Quetta police chief told Reuters. Two women and a child are among the 27 injured in the blast, he added.

In a similar blast last Tuesday two people were killed and 16 were injured when an explosive-rigged motorcycle went off outside a store in Quetta.

Violence in the Baluchistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, has fueled concern about the security of investments, in particular an energy link planned to run from western China to Pakistan’s southern port of Gwadar. </s> QUETTA: At least five people, including two policemen, were killed and 27 others injured in an explosion near a police station in Quetta on Tuesday, ARY News reported.

Quetta’s Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) police Abdul Razzaq Cheema confirmed that two police personnel among five people were killed in the blast and added that the terrorists targeted a police vehicle near the City police station in Quetta.

He said that additional station house officer (SHO) Shafaat Ali was among the injured and added that he was in a critical condition at the hospital. The police officer said that the explosive device was planted on a motorcycle.

Law enforcement agencies and police rushed to the scene, after being informed and cordoned off the area. Bomb disposal squad also reached at the scene to ascertain the intensity, nature and target of the blast.

Rescue officials shifted the bodies and the injured to Civil Hospital for medico-legal formalities and treatment. The provincial government imposed an emergency at the hospitals while doctors and paramedical staff were directed to report immediately on their duties.

Read More: Two killed, several injured in Quetta blast

Earlier on July 23, at least two people had been killed and 23 others sustained injuries after a bomb exploded near eastern bypass, area of provincial capital Quetta.

According to reports, the bomb was planted in a motorbike at Sher Jan bus stop near eastern bypass of Quetta. Rescue teams had rushed the site and shifted the injured to Civil Hospital Quetta for medical treatment.

Police had said that the culprits and motive behind the attack were yet to be ascertained while law enforcement agencies personnel had reached at the spot to probe the blast. </s> QUETTA: At least four people, including two policemen, were killed and 28 others injured in an explosion near a police station in Quetta on Tuesday, ARY News reported.

According to the details, the bomb was exploded near City police station in the Quetta. Law enforcement agencies and police cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

Bomb disposal squad has also reached at the scene to ascertain the intensity, nature and target of the blast. Rescue officials shifted the bodies and the injured to Civil Hospital for medico-legal formalities and treatment

The provincial government has imposed an emergency at the hospitals while doctors and paramedical staff were directed to report immediately on their duties.

An official said that apparently the target of the explosion was police personnel.

Read More: Two killed, several injured in Quetta blast

Earlier on July 23, at least two people had been killed and 23 others sustained injuries after a bomb exploded near eastern bypass, area of provincial capital Quetta.

According to reports, the bomb was planted in a motorbike at Sher Jan bus stop near eastern bypass of Quetta. Rescue teams had rushed the site and shifted the injured to Civil Hospital Quetta for medical treatment.

Police had said that the culprits and motive behind the attack were yet to be ascertained while law enforcement agencies personnel had reached at the spot to probe the blast. </s> A bomb blast ripped through a vegetable market in Pakistan's restive Quetta city early Friday, killing at least 20 people including the members of the minority Hazara community and injuring 30 others.

The blast at around 7:35 am was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) that had been hidden among the vegetables in the market, police said.

At least eight of those killed in the bomb blast at Hazarganji area of Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, belonged to the Hazara community. The security forces fear the death toll may rise, GEO News reported.

DIG Quetta Abdul Razaq Cheema told the media that 16 people, including a Frontier Corp (FC) official, lost their lives in the blast which was targetted at the Hazara community.

Thirty others were injured and were undergoing treatment. Four FC personnel were also among the injured, the official added.

Buildings located nearby were also damaged in the blast, police said. Security forces have cordoned off the site of the blast.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the blast in Hazarganji and sought a report on the incident.

Hazaras make up a significant minority group in Pakistan and most of them live in Quetta.

Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan's largest and poorest province, rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies. </s> At least three persons were killed and several injured in a bomb explosion near city police station in Quetta on Tuesday

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2019 ) :At least three persons were killed and several injured in a bomb explosion near city police station in Quetta on Tuesday.

According to police sources, the injured were shifted to civil hospital for treatment. The rescue teams were busy in providing relief to the masses. </s> Five people were killed and 35 others injured in a bombing outside a police station in Pakistan’s Quetta city, authorities have said.

The attack on Tuesday was carried out using a motorcycle rigged with explosives and detonated by remote control, police spokesman Mohamed Ramzan told Efe news from Quetta.

The motorbike was parked near a police station and a van filled with officers.

All five fatalities were civilians, as were 31 of those wounded, Ramzan said.

Eight of the wounded are listed in serious condition at hospitals in Quetta, capital of Balochistan province.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, which took place late in the afternoon.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan issued a statement condemning the attack and expressing sorrow over “the loss of lives.”

Quetta, home to more than 1 million people, is one of the most dangerous cities in Pakistan due to the presence of armed groups including Baloch separatists, the Pakistani Taliban and other jihadist factions.

Two people died and 16 were hurt last week in a motorcycle-bomb attack on the outskirts of the city. And a year ago, Quetta suffered the worst terrorist incident in Pakistan’s history: an attack on a political rally that left 149 people dead. </s> Twin blasts tore through a market crowded with Eid shoppers in a mainly Shia town, a suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car and militants opened fire on police in separate attacks in Pakistan's three major cities today, killing 42 people and wounding 121 others.

The suicide bomber blew up his explosives-laden car near Inspector General of Police Ehsan Mehboob's office in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, killing at least 13 people, including seven policemen, and wounding 21 others.

The blast was claimed by both the local affiliate of the Islamic State terror group and by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (JuA), a splinter group of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Thirteen people, including seven policemen, died in the suicide car bombing, officials said.

Hours later, two back-to-back blasts tore through a market crowded with the people shopping for Eid in the Shia- dominated Parachinar city in the Kurram tribal region, killing at least 25 people, mostly Shias, and injuring 100 others.

The first blast occurred during rush hour in Turi Market, where a bus terminal is also located. The second blast took place as rescuers and bystanders rushed to aid those who had been hurt in the first explosion.

Medical Superintendent of the District General Hospital, Parachinar, Sabir Hussain, said that at least 25 people are killed and over 100 others injured in the blasts. More than 20 of the injured were in critical condition.

No group claimed responsibility for the blasts. However, Sunni militant groups have claimed responsibility for several attacks in the area in the past.

In the evening, two armed men on a motorcycle, with their faces covered with helmets, opened fire on police officers at a roadside restaurant in Karachi and killed four of them.

An assistant sub-inspector was among those killed in the attack, said Superintendent of Police Asif Ahmad.

In Parachinar, officials said the blasts on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramazan targeted people shopping in the area and those heading out of the city ahead of Eid.

The emergency and rescue services shifted injured to Agency Headquarters hospital Parachinar. The security forces cordon off the entire area and started search operation.

Pakistan Army contingents and FC personnel reached the site of the attack to aid in rescue efforts.

"Two Army aviation helicopters have taken off from Peshawar to Parachinar for the speedy evacuation of the injured to Peshawar," the army said in a statement.

On March 31, a car bomb blast near an Imambargah of Shia Muslims killed 23 people and injured 70 others in Parachinar.

In January, 25 people were killed and 87 others when a bomb tore through a crowded vegetable market in the same city.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif condemned the attacks, saying that terrorists involved in the attacks will be taken to task and all out efforts will be taken to eliminate terrorism.

President Mamnoon Hussain, Senate Chairman Raza Rabbani, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Governor Balochistan Muhammad Khan Achakzai and former president Asif Ali Zardari, among others, also condemned the attack.

Balochistan government spokesperson Anwarul Haq Kakar told Geo News that the suspected Quetta bomber tried to break a security perimeter to target the police offices but blew up after policemen standing guard attempted to stop him.

Of the injured, nine are said to be policemen.

DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema, addressing the media, said they are examining CCTV footage to determine the details of the incident.

Officials said body parts of the suspected bomber, strewn across the site of the blast, were being collected along with other evidence for forensic examination.

An initial investigation report by Civil Defence Director Aslam Tareen revealed that 75 kilograms of explosives were used in the Quetta blast.

Footage of the incident showed two vehicles badly damaged in the explosion, while debris lay scattered on the street.

Officials said the explosion was loud enough to be heard from a distance and shattered windows of nearby buildings.

Earlier this year, on February 13, a blast took place near the Saryab Bridge in Quetta killing two personnel of the bomb disposal squad and leaving 11 injured.

Later in March, an explosion targeting a security forces convoy occurred on Saryab Road. Four people were injured including three Frontier Corps personnel and a passer-by.

In August, last year, a suicide bomber targeted the emergency services ward at Civil Hospital, following the death of the president of the Balochistan High Court Bar Association, killing at least 70 people and leaving many wounded. </s> world

Updated: Jul 26, 2018 01:09 IST

At least 29 people were killed and several others injured in blasts and clashes on Wednesday across Pakistan as millions turned up to vote for the general and assembly elections, officials said.

Several reports media said more than 28 people were killed in the NA-260 constituency of Quetta, the capital of the troubled Balochistan province, in an attack targeting a police van. Television images showed a charred police vehicle, cordoned off by security officials. (Live updates)

“(The bomber) was trying to enter the polling station. When police tried to stop him he blew himself up,” a local administration official in Quetta, Hashim Ghilzai, told news agency AFP.

Supporters of two rival parties exchanged fire outside a polling station in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, killing a worker of former cricketer Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and injuring two others, news agency PTI reported citing the police.

It added that the Khan’s party worker was killed as activists clashed with Awami National Party supporters at the polling station in Nawan Kali of Swabi district after voting opened for the general elections.

In Larkana, in the southern province of Sindh and the home of the Bhutto family, at least three people were injured after an explosion was reported outside a polling station in NA-200 constituency, near Shah Muhammad School.

Deputy inspector general (DIG) Akbar Riaz told Geo News the cracker blast targeted a Pakistan People’s party (PPP) camp and added polling continued despite the attack.

Clashes between workers of opposing parties were also reported from several areas.

The military has deployed more than 370,000 troops to ensure security on the polling day amid fears of further attacks after a series of bombings killed hundreds of people during campaign rallies.

Opinion polls in the run-up to the Pakistan assembly election have put Khan’s PTT a little ahead of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League (N) and the Pakistan Peoples’ Party of Bilawal Bhutto in the third place.

Thousands of candidates belonging to extremist and militant sectarian groups are also contesting the general elections in Pakistan.

To gain a majority, a party needs 137 of the 272 elected National Assembly seats. A further 70 seats for women and minorities are awarded proportionally based on the voting percentages.

No Pakistani prime minister has ever completed their term.

First Published: Jul 25, 2018 12:17 IST </s> A powerful blast targeting a police vehicle in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province has killed five people, including two security personnel, and injured 38 others, a top police official said on Wednesday.

The blast took place close to a police vehicle at the Bacha Khan Chowk in the remit of the City Police Station on Tuesday, Quetta’s Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of police Abdul Razzaq Cheema said.

The target of the blast appeared to be the Station House Officer (SHO) of the area who received some injuries and has been shifted to a hospital, the DIG told reporters. “The bomb went off as soon as SHO Shaffat got down from his vehicle,” he said, adding that the condition of the SHO is said to be critical.

Also Read | 17 killed as military aircraft crashes in residential area near Rawalpindi

Cheema said it was too early to confirm whether it was a suicide attack or the blast caused by a remotely triggered device.

Police said the bomb was planted in a motorcycle parked close to the patrolling vehicle. Five people, including two cops, were killed and 38 others injured in the attack. Three people died on the spot, police said.

The injured included women and children who were passing through the area when the bomb went off in the heart of the city. The condition of at least six of them was stated to be serious.

Earlier, police officials said terrorists had planted explosives in a motorcycle and parked it near the police vehicle before it was detonated. A contingent of the law enforcement agencies threw a security cordon around the area as rescuers continued evacuations.

The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the blast, according to a report in a leading Pakistani daily.

The injured and bodies of the dead were shifted to the Civil Hospital, where officials confirmed the death toll.

The impact of the blast was so strong that it shattered the glass windows of nearby shopping malls and damaged parked vehicles and motorcycles.

Home Minister Mir Zia Langove said the government would not be cowed down by such attacks and the mission to purge the province of the menace of terrorism would continue.

Balochistan Governor retired Justice Amanullah Khan Yasinzai, Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan and his cabinet members strongly condemned the bomb blast and expressed their grief and sorrow over the loss of lives of innocent people.

It was the second bomb explosion within the last seven days in the provincial capital. On July 23, a blast had occurred in the Eastern Bypass area which left four people dead and 32 injured.

Balochistan has been wrecked by ethnic, sectarian and separatist violence for more than a decade.
Four are killed and over 20 injured in a bomb blast near a police station in Quetta, Pakistan.