- Women, children injured, shifted to hospitals for treatment.
- Govt says terrorists targeted unarmed civilians in blast.
- PM Shehbaz says terrorism cannot weaken nation’s resolve.
QUETTA: At least 14 people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, were martyred and several others injured in a blast which occurred near the railway track close to Chaman Phatak in Quetta on Sunday, the Balochistan government spokesperson said.
Several women and children also sustained injuries in the explosion and were shifted to hospitals for medical treatment, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said in a statement.
Rind said terrorists targeted unarmed civilians in the attack, terming the assaults on public places a sign of desperation by militant elements.
Security forces have cordoned off the area, while authorities continue collecting evidence and investigating the incident, he said.
The government spokesperson said that evidence collection and investigations are underway. He added that targeting public places reflects the desperation of terrorist elements.
Following the incident, an emergency was declared in government hospitals across Quetta, with doctors and medical staff summoned to handle the situation.
Railway authorities said the Peshawar-bound Jaffar Express was stopped at Quetta Railway Station after the blast as a precautionary measure.
Babar Yousafzai, the spokesperson to the home minister, said that all relevant institutions have been placed on high alert following an explosion in the city.
He urged the public not to gather near the blast site to ensure safety and allow emergency teams to carry out rescue operations without obstruction.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the “heinous” blast.
“Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan. We remain steadfast in our determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” the prime minister said.
He also expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured, saying the entire nation stands in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in this hour of grief.
This is a developing story and is being updated with further details.
