Two guards killed as MPA’s son survives attack

IED planted on roadside detonates in Dhadar tehsil in Balochistan’s Kachhi district

QUETTA:

Two security guards embraced martyrdom and one injured on Saturday when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in Noshman area of Balochistan’s Dhadar tehsil in Kachhi district, targeting the convoy of Sardar Khan Rind -- son of PTI MPA Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind.

Dhadar Assistant Commissioner Fahad Shah Rashdi confirmed that the IED was planted on the roadside when it detonated.

At the time, the MPA’s son, along with his convoy, was travelling to Dhadar town.

Sardar Khan Rind remained unhurt in the attack while the injured guard was admitted to Civil Hospital Dhadar.

The bodies of the martyred guards were transferred to the same hospital as well.

Following the blast, a large number of police, levies and other security personnel reached the scene and cordoned off the area.

In a statement, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo condemned the blast and expressed his grief over the martyrdom of two security guards in the terrorist attack.

The chief minister expressed his gratitude to the Almighty that the MPA’s son remained unharmed in the attack and directed the law enforcement agencies to use all the resources at their disposal to bring the elements involved in the explosion to justice.

He said terrorists wanted to create an atmosphere of fear and panic in Balochistan.

The chief minister pledged that law and order in the province would be maintained at any cost.

Bizenjo extended his condolences and sympathies to the families of the martyred security guards.

On Monday, nine policemen embraced martyrdom and 13 others were injured in a powerful blast in Balochistan’s Bolan district.

A senior security official told The Express Tribune that a suicide bomber targeted the police van in the Kumbri area.

The policemen were returning from the Sibi festival after performing their duties, when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden motorcycle into the police van, damaging it severely. The blast was heard far and wide.

The target of the terrorists was the historic Sibi Mela that ended on Sunday. They were unable to target the centuries-old festival and succeeded in targeting the security personnel coming back to Quetta from Sibi, the official said.

According to figures released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies, an Islamabad-based think-tank, January 2023 remained one of the deadliest months since July 2018, as 134 people lost their lives — a 139% spike — and 254 received injuries in at least 44 militant attacks across the country.