Quetta has again suffered a deadly terror incident as at least six police commandos and a civilian were martyred and 22 others sustained injuries when an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into a security forces convoy on the Quetta-Sibi Highway on Wednesday morning. According to report, the attack on the law-enforcement personnel took place some 14 kilometres outside the Balochistan capital, Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri said. Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said the martyred personnel were the elite commandos from the Balochistan Constabulary. Chief Minister Zehri told reporters that the attacker used 70 to 80 kilogrammes of explosives in the attack. Rescuers and law enforcement personnel rushed to the spot and shifted the bodies and the injured to hospitals in Quetta and blocked the highway for traffic. Hours later, armed men riding a motorcycle opened fire on a car on Qumbrani road, killing one Counter Terrorism Department’s fencing expert Abdul Salam, said Ayoub Qureshi, the acting Inspector General of Balochistan Police. Chief Minister Zehri later chaired a high-level security meeting. He hailed the sacrifices rendered by the security forces in the war against terrorism. He directed the authorities to review the security arrangement across the province and take solid steps it improve them. We are living in a conflict zone. Hostile agencies, sitting in Afghanistan, are fuelling terrorism in Balochistan. Terrorism is causing disturbance here, but we will deal with them strictly as we dealt with them in the past, Zehri said. Funeral for the martyred police personnel was held in Quetta in the evening. The chief minister, Commander Southern Command Lieutenant General Asim Saleem Bajwa, the inspector general of the Frontier Corps, provincial ministers and others attended the funeral. President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi have strongly deplored the suicide blast in Quetta. They prayed for the departed souls and commiserated with the bereaved families. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that such cowardly acts cannot deter the national resolve against terrorism. Although due to the efforts of law enforcement agencies and Balochistan Government, law and order situation in the province has significantly improved but the threat is still alive. The terror incidents are constantly occurring with the passage of time. The peace and stability in Quetta is vital for the national security of the country. Quetta has remained the hub of conspiracies of anti state elements and enemies of Pakistan. Law enforcement agencies have dismantled their hideouts and networks. The government and law enforcement agencies need to review their strategy in securing Quetta from the terrorists.
