A police official was killed while five constables were injured after their patrol vehicle was damaged by a remotely-detonated bomb strapped to a bicycle near the Qambrani Road on Friday.
The personnel of the Rapid Response Group (RRG) of the Balochistan Constabulary were on a routine patrol when the explosion occurred, killing sub-inspector Dawood Shahwani.
Five other soldiers were also injured in the incident and their vehicle was completely destroyed.
Another RRG patrol vehicle rushed to the spot and took the dead soldier and the injured to the hospital. The police and Frontier Corps personnel cordoned off the area. Inspector-General (IG) Balochistan Police Malik Mohammad Iqbal said that the bomb contained at least five kilogramme of explosive material.
“Such subversive tactics will not scare the police or deter them from performing their duties,” Iqbal told reporters. He said that the Balochistan government has announced a compensation of Rs2 million for the family of the deceased police official.
He also said that the official was posthumously promoted to the rank of inspector, adding that the government will bear all hospital expenses for the injured policemen.
Responding to a query, Iqbal said no arrest had been made in connection with the attack and denied naming any organisation that could have been involved.
Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Mohammad Aslam Raisani condemned the incident and has asked the IG to make an all out effort to arrest those behind the attack.
According to the home department, as many as 48 police personnel were killed and 104 injured across Balochistan during 2010.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 25th, 2010.
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