ISLAMABAD: At least six people, including two policemen, were injured on Wednesday after unidentified individuals carried out a suspected grenade attack in Quetta, the capital of the southwestern Balochistan province, police said as citizens prepared for Independence Day celebrations.
The incident took place on the same day the government plans to dissolve the National Assembly of Pakistan, as the five-year constitutional term of the national and provincial legislatures is set to expire on August 12.
Rising attacks targeting ordinary people, public rallies, and police personnel in recent days have raised concerns about the general security situation and the peaceful conduct of the electoral contest, due between November and February. Last month, over 50 people were killed in an attack on a political gathering in the country’s northwest. The attack was claimed by Daesh. Separately, the Pakistani Taliban have vowed to increase attacks on security forces, raising concerns about the safety of the electoral exercise and its run-up
“At around 12:15 p.m. on Wednesday, two policemen were patrolling the city’s Joint Road when they heard a small explosion,” Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Zuhaib-ul-Hassan told reporters in Quetta.
“As soon as the policemen reached the site of the explosion, there was an exchange of fire with the assailants, which left them injured,” he added, saying pushcarts selling Pakistani flags, badges, and other Independence Day accessories were attacked but the target seemed to be the patrolling police party.
He ssaid four civilians were injured in the suspected grenade attack and the bomb disposal squad was still assessing the exact nature of the blast.
“We have issued a security order, and police personnel, both uniformed and in plain clothes, have been deployed throughout the city ahead of the August 14 celebrations,” the police officer told media.
Hassan added that the injured had been shifted to Civil Hospital.
“Five of the injured, including a woman, have been brought to the hospital, where they are being treated for their injuries,” hospital spokesperson, Dr. Waseem Baig, told Arab News.
As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Balochistan has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatist outfits for nearly two decades. It has also witnessed a rise in the number of grenade attacks against vendors selling the country’s national flags ahead of Pakistan’s Independence Day.