Islamabad: At least seven passengers were reportedly injured in a blast targeting a bus in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Monday.
The explosion occurred in the Khuzdar district of the southwestern province, long plagued by a separatist insurgency involving ethnic Baloch militant groups.
Militants targeted the passenger bus through a remote-controlled bomb, local police were quoted by media reports as saying.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility by any group for the attack.
Khuzdar is considered one of the most sensitive districts of Balochistan, where militants have regularly targeted security forces and national installations.
The poor law and order situation has reportedly forced hundreds of families to migrate from Khuzdar to different parts of Balochistan and neighbouring Sindh province.
Meanwhile, a woman was killed and her son as well as three security personnel injured in crossfire during a search operation in Lower Dir region of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
However, there were conflicting reports regarding the incident in Lower Dir’s Timergara region and the circumstances of the woman’s death.
Official sources said security forces were conducting a search operation in Timergara when residents in the house of a local property dealer identified as Israruddin opened fire on them during a raid.
Subsequently, three security officers were injured during the shootout while Israruddin’s wife was killed and his son sustained injuries.
Security forces claimed they were fired upon while they were conducting a search operation in the house. Whereas, residents said that even though they had not offered any resistance, security forces men fired shots as a result of which the woman was killed and her son was injured.
Meanwhile, a curfew was imposed in Timergara for an indefinite period.
—With Online inputs
