In Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province, 25 people were reported killed including 14 army personnel in an explosion at Quetta railway station. The blast, which injured 53 people, took place earlier on Saturday morning near the ticket booth. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the blast.
Quetta police were quoted as saying the blast appeared to be the work of a suicide bomber but would not confirm until investigations were completed. A bomb disposal squad was at work gathering evidence, police added.
The brunt of the blast was apparently borne by army personnel who had completed a course at the infantry school in Quetta.
Police said there were around 100 people waiting at the platform for a train to the garrison city of Rawalpindi, indicating that the death toll could go up since many passengers were in critical condition.
Police said the Jaffar Express was preparing to depart for Peshawar when the blast happened.
In August, the BLA had claimed responsibility for a series of coordinated attacks that left 39 people dead, one of the highest tolls in the region. The BLA has been known for targeting Chinese workers and engineers deployed at various sites where projects under China’s Belt & Road are underway.
Other attacks have targeted Punjabis, reflecting Baloch ire at what they say is the pauperisation of their province by the Punjabi dominated army.
The Dawn newspaper reported that there’s been an uptick in violence in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa provinces over the past year. In 2023, Pakistan saw 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attack and counter-terror operations. Overall fatalities are at a six year high, the newspaper reported.
In September, police in a vehicle were targeted in a bomb attacked that killed two personnel. Days later, an under-construction house in Panjgur was stormed and labourers hailing from Multan in Punjab were reported killed.
