Targeting a police vehicle in Mastung, Balochistan blast, killed at least seven people, including five children, on Friday. Over 30 others were critically injured, with casualties expected to rise, according to local reports.
An IED attached to a motorcycle exploded near a police mobile as it approached the Girls High School at Civil Hospital Chowk. The blast instantly claimed the lives of five schoolchildren, a passerby, and a police officer. The injured were rushed to Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Memorial Hospital and Mastung District Headquarters Hospital, with three critical cases transferred to Quetta’s Trauma Centre.
DHQ Medical Superintendent Nisar Ahmed Baloch confirmed that most victims were children aged 10-13 years. The blast, which occurred in a crowded area filled with schoolchildren, vehicles, and shops, completely destroyed the police vehicle.
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Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the attack, expressing sorrow and pledging to “avenge the blood of innocent citizens, including children.” Chairman Senate and Acting President Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani called the attackers “enemies of humanity,” voicing support for security forces in the fight against terrorism.
The explosion comes shortly after Pakistan’s Foreign Office rejected the idea of negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), holding the Afghan Taliban responsible for harboring anti-Pakistan militants. FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch stressed that Pakistan has zero tolerance for negotiations with groups involved in terrorism.
Balochistan, along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has been a hotbed for militant attacks, often targeting security forces and foreign nationals, particularly those working on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects. This latest attack in Mastung follows recent violence in the region, including a shooting at a dam site in Panjgur that left five dead.