Islamabad An improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near a passenger train in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Sunday, killing at least four people and wounding 10, according to officials and media reports.
The device planted along the rail track was set off by remote control as the Jaffar Express was passing through the Dasht area of Mastung district of the province, which is plagued by a separatist insurgency involving ethnic Baloch militant groups.
The train was on a regular run from the provincial capital of Quetta to Rawalpindi near Islamabad. The injured were moved to hospitals in Quetta.
According to a bomb disposal unit, about eight kilograms of explosive was used in the blast.
A railway spokesman said the explosion damaged a carriage and part of the track, which was later repaired and traffic restored.
No one immediately claimed responsibility but officials suspected Baloch militants were behind the attack.
Militants have targeted government installations and security forces in the province from time to time for over a decade. Mastung is said to be one of the most sensitive districts of the province.
Provincial authorities say hundreds of insurgents have surrendered in groups this year as a result of persuasion and offers of government assistance to rehabilitate those who lay down arms.
The federal and provincial government have also initiated moves to engage in dialogue estranged Baloch leaders, including those living in self-imposed exile, in order to find a political solution.
