At least 14 people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, were martyred and several others injured in a blast which occurred near the railway track close to Chaman Phatak in Quetta on Sunday, the Balochistan government spokesperson said.
Several women and children also sustained injuries in the explosion and were shifted to hospitals for medical treatment, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said in a statement.
Rind said terrorists targeted unarmed civilians in the attack, terming the assaults on public places a sign of desperation by militant elements.
Security forces have cordoned off the area, while authorities continue collecting evidence and investigating the incident, he said.
The government spokesperson said that evidence collection and investigations are underway. He added that targeting public places reflects the desperation of terrorist elements.
Following the incident, an emergency was declared in government hospitals across Quetta, with doctors and medical staff summoned to handle the situation.
Railway authorities said the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express was stopped at Quetta Railway Station after the blast as a precautionary measure.
Babar Yousafzai, the spokesperson to the home minister, said that all relevant institutions have been placed on high alert following an explosion in the city.
He urged the public not to gather near the blast site to ensure safety and allow emergency teams to carry out rescue operations without obstruction.
Later, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Quetta and jointly chaired a meeting with CM Bugti, according to a statement issued by the interior ministry.
During the meeting, the Balochistan police chief briefed participants on the initial report of the blast investigation.
Condemnations
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the “heinous” blast and said that such acts of terrorism are aimed at harming the people of Pakistan and diverting attention from the country’s efforts for global peace.
In his condemnation message, the president said that elements hostile to Pakistan are attempting to undermine the initiatives that serve broader humanitarian objectives, global peace and progress.
He said there should be no doubt that Pakistan will defeat terrorists, their facilitators, financiers and those providing them safe havens.
“Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan. We remain steadfast in our determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” PM Shehbaz said.
He also expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured, saying the entire nation stands in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in this hour of grief.
Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi also condemned the blast and said that elements based in India and Afghanistan are involved in sponsoring terrorism, vowing that terrorist networks would never succeed in their evil designs.
The minister added that the explosion resulted in the derailment of the engine and three coaches. Abbasi also directed the railway administration to submit an immediate report on the incident.
