Pakistan: Mastung IED blast kills 3 Balochistan Constabulary personnel, 16 injured

Balochistan [Pakistan], April 15 (ANI): Three policemen were killed and at least 16 others were injured on Tuesday morning when an improvised explosive device (IED) targeted a vehicle carrying officers of the Balochistan Constabulary in Mastung district, Dawn reported.
The attack took place on Dasht Road, and although no group has yet claimed responsibility, the incident highlights the escalating violence in Balochistan, where militant groups have recently intensified their attacks. The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is suspected to be one of the key perpetrators behind such violence in 2024.
According to Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the Balochistan government, the blast struck a vehicle transporting policemen who were returning from Kalat. "Three jawaan (personnel) of the Balochistan Constabulary were killed in the blast," Rind confirmed, adding that 16 others were wounded, with two reported to be in critical condition.
The attack occurred while the Balochistan Constabulary officers were in transit, and while the extent of their injuries was still being assessed, the provincial authorities quickly responded by shifting all the injured to a nearby hospital. Those in serious condition were transported to Quetta, approximately 50 kilometers away from the site of the explosion.
The Balochistan Constabulary, a key part of the provincial police force, was deployed in Mastung to manage a sit-in by the Balochistan National Party--Mengal (BNP-M).
This protest, which has now entered its 19th day, is aimed at raising awareness about the arrests of Baloch activists. On the second day of the sit-in, BNP-M leader Sardar Akhtar Mengal had narrowly escaped a suicide bombing near the rally.
The authorities have not yet provided clarity on whether this IED attack was directly linked to the ongoing protests, but the frequency of such attacks suggests a growing insurgency in the region.
Mastung Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Younas Magsi reported that the explosion targeted a police vehicle that was part of a larger deployment. "More than 40 cops were returning from duty when the police vehicle carrying them was targeted," Magsi stated.
He further elaborated that these policemen typically return to Mastung Police Lines daily after their shifts, and the vehicle was hit while making its way back from a deployment with Levies forces in the Kund Mas area. The blast, a clear attempt to cause maximum harm, not only resulted in multiple injuries but also heightened tensions in an already volatile region.
Local administration officials provided more details about the aftermath of the attack. Raja Muhammad Akram, an official from the region, confirmed that the police vehicle was carrying around 40 officers when the roadside IED detonated, reported Dawn.
Following the explosion, emergency measures were enacted, with the Bolan Medical Complex and Civil Hospital in Quetta both placed on high alert. This swift response underlined the severity of the situation and the need for rapid medical treatment for those affected by the explosion.
The attack comes just a day after another assault in the region where a soldier from the Frontier Corps was killed and two terrorists were killed during an attack on an FC post in Noshki's Galangoor area.
Security forces also managed to foil an attack on a Levies post in the same district, injuring a terrorist in the process. The string of attacks indicates a continued and worrying trend of growing insurgent activity in Balochistan, where terrorist organisations, particularly the BLA, have been intensifying their operations.
Following the blast, Pakistani officials, including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, condemned the attack in strong terms. Prime Minister Sharif expressed his condolences, vowing that the government would not allow terrorists to succeed in their aims.
"We will thwart the nefarious designs of the terrorists, who are enemies of humanity. Our war against terrorists will continue until the scourge of terrorism is completely eradicated from the country," Sharif said in a statement.
He also directed that immediate medical assistance be provided to those injured in the attack, adding that the government stood with the families of the killed officers.
President Zardari echoed similar sentiments, offering prayers for the recovery of the injured and reaffirming the country's commitment to fighting terrorism. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed his condolences to the victims' families, calling the officers martyrs and asserting that "terrorists neither have any religion nor any region."
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the blast and ordered Health Minister Bakht Kakar to ensure the injured received the best possible treatment. He stressed that there would be no tolerance for negligence in the treatment of the wounded, Dawn reported.
"The elements involved in the incident do not deserve any concession," CM Bugti declared, underlining the government's firm stance against the perpetrators of violence.
In a show of national solidarity, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also expressed his condolences, calling the deaths a huge loss for the nation. Shah further emphasised the need for national unity in the face of terrorism, urging the country to stand together in the fight against such forces. "The entire nation will have to unite to fight against terrorists," CM Murad asserted. (ANI)