Police Prisoner Vehicle Targeted on Mian Ghandi Link Road in Mastung
Key Points:
- Four cops hurt as bomb hits police vehicle in Mastung’s Dasht area
- Attack comes amid rising militant violence in Balochistan, KP provinces
- Pakistan saw 128 militant attacks in May, a 27% rise from April
QUETTA – Four police personnel sustained injuries on Sunday when a bomb planted along a link road in Pakistan’s Balochistan province ripped through their vehicle, local media reported.
The explosion struck in the Dasht area of Mastung district, where unidentified attackers had planted an explosive device along the Mian Ghandi Link Road near Pir Wali. According to The Express Tribune, the device had been placed on Saturday.
The blast occurred when a police vehicle carrying prisoners from Dasht court to Mastung jail passed through the spot. The vehicle suffered significant damage in the explosion.
Dasht station house officer Akhtar Muhammad said the four injured personnel received medical treatment at the scene. Large security contingents reached the area soon after and cordoned it off.
A search operation was subsequently launched to track down the attackers. However, no arrests have been reported so far in connection with the bombing.
The attack adds to a growing pattern of violence against law enforcement in Pakistan’s border provinces. Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have witnessed a sharp spike in such assaults in recent weeks.
On June 14, a suicide bombing targeted a police check post in the Wahwa area near the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border. Two police personnel were killed and six others were seriously injured in that attack.
District Police Officer Muhammad Sadiq Baloch said attackers rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the checkpost’s main gate. The structure was completely destroyed, and nearby houses also suffered collapsed roofs and walls.
More than a dozen local residents were injured in that blast as well. Baloch confirmed that the suicide bomber also died in the explosion, and an investigation has been launched.
Meanwhile, a monthly assessment by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies has flagged a sharp deterioration in security during May. The report, cited by Dawn, recorded 128 militant attacks that month against 101 in April, a 27 per cent increase.
As many as 71 civilians, 68 security personnel and six peace committee members were killed in the violence. Security personnel deaths alone surged 143 per cent compared to April.
Balochistan emerged as the worst-hit province, recording 71 attacks compared to 34 in April. The province also accounted for 52 of the 54 kidnapping cases reported nationwide in May.
(Written with inputs from IANS)
