QUETTA: One man was killed and 10 others were injured in a grenade attack at the Quetta Railway Station on Wednesday, a senior police official confirmed.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, such incidents are not uncommon in southwestern Balochistan province, a region bordering Iran and Afghanistan that has witnessed a decades-long low-level insurgency by separatist groups.
Earlier this week, suspected militants hurled hand grenades at a house and a store selling Pakistan’s national flags after the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) issued a warning to avoid such trade ahead of the country’s Independence Day on August 14. The attack killed three and injured six others.
Senior Superintendent of Police Muhammad Baloch told Arab News that unidentified individuals targeted people gathered at the Quetta Railway Station in the latest attack to view Independence Day decorations.
“According to initial reports, the attack was believed to have been carried out with a hand grenade, but it now appears to have been a UBGL [Under Barrel Grenade Launcher] attack, which has killed one man and injured 10 others, including three minor children,” he said, referring to the possible use of a grenade launcher mounted underneath the barrel of a rifle or similar firearm.
Waseem Baig, spokesman for the Civil Hospital Quetta, as confirmed that 10 people were treated for injuries at the medical facility.
People in Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan rely heavily on railway travel to visit relatives and friends in other cities during public holidays like August 14, leading to a surge in passenger numbers and unusually crowded stations.
Baloch separatist factions say they are fighting against what they see as unfair exploitation of the province’s wealth by the federation, though the Pakistani authorities deny the allegation and say they have launched several development projects for the well-being of the people.