New Delhi:
At least four people were killed and several others injured in a powerful blast near the Pakistan-Iran border in the restive Balochistan province on Saturday, an official said. The Deputy Commissioner of Panjgur Abdul Jabbar said that the blast took place in the Panjgur area and those killed and injured were mostly local shepherds.
“The injured have been shifted to a hospital in Quetta,” Jabbar said. It is still not clear that whether the blast was an Improvised Explosive Device, he added. Iranian forces opened fire after the blast, delaying the rescue operations, according to local media reports.
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As of now, no group has claimed responsibility of the blast. However, separatist outfits or militants carry out such terror attacks in the province. Talking about last month, 13 people including seven policemen were killed in a suicide car bombing outside the office of provincial police chief in Quetta.
It’s been over a decade that Balochistan has been experiencing incidents of violence and targeted killings. Balochistan, which is the largest province of Pakistan is home to a low-level insurgency by Baloch separatists. In the region, Al Qaeda-linked and sectarian militants also operate.
The largest province shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran. In May, 28 people were killed when a suicide bomber targeted the convoy of Senate Deputy Chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri in Balochistans Mastung area.
With PTI inputs.
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