QUETTA: Three Frontier Corps (FC) soldiers were injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Saturday, confirmed a police official, saying the incident took place in an area located 15 kilometers from Duki in Loralai Division.
Earlier this month, unidentified militants killed at least 20 coal miners in the area, using heavy weapons, sparking protests from labor organizations and halting mining operations amid heightened fear.
The attack in Duki occurred slightly over a month after separatist militants from the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) carried out a series of coordinated assaults in the province, killing more than 50 people, including highway commuters.
Hamayoun Khan, Station House Officer at the Duki police station, confirmed the paramilitary troops were targeted while traveling in a convoy through the mountainous area.
“Three soldiers of the paramilitary FC force were injured in the attack,” he told Arab News. “Some unknown individuals planted an IED in the steep Manday Tak area of the mountain.”
While no group has claimed responsibility for this attack, Baloch separatists have often targeted security forces in the region.
Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has been the site of a low-level insurgency by separatist militants who accuse the government of exploiting the province’s mineral resources without benefiting local residents.
The government denies this and asserts it has launched several high-profile projects for the region’s development.
Three paramilitary troops injured in explosion in Pakistan’s Balochistan province
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Three paramilitary troops injured in explosion in Pakistan’s Balochistan province
- Police confirm FC soldiers were moving in a convoy near Duki when an IED blast happened
- Earlier this month, unknown militants also killed 20 coal miners in the area with heavy weapons
Pakistani, Bangladeshi officials discuss trade, investment and aviation as ties thaw
- Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war
- Ties between Pakistan, Bangladesh have warmed up since last year and both nations have resumed sea trade
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's High Commissioner to Bangladesh Imran Haider on Sunday met Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka, the latter's office said on, with the two figures discussing trade, investment and aviation.
Pakistan and Bangladesh were once one nation, but they split in 1971 as a result of a bloody civil war, which saw the part previously referred to as East Pakistan seceding to form the independent nation of Bangladesh.
Ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh have warmed up since former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster as a result of a student-led uprising in August 2024. Relations remain frosty between Dhaka and New Delhi over India’s decision to grant asylum to Hasina.
Pakistan has attempted to forge closer ties with Bangladesh in recent months and both South Asian nations last year began sea trade, followed by efforts to expand government-to-government commerce.
"During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to expand cooperation in trade, investment, and aviation as well as scaling up cultural, educational and medical exchanges to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two South Asian nations," Yunus's office said in a statement on X.
In 2023-24 Pakistan exported goods worth $661 million to Bangladesh, while its imports were only $57 million, according to the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan. In Aug. this year, the Pakistani and Bangladeshi commerce ministries signed a memorandum of understanding to establish a Joint Working Group on Trade, aiming to raise their bilateral trade volume to $1 billion in the financial year that began in July.
The Pakistani high commissioner noted that bilateral trade has recorded a 20 percent growth compared to last year, with business communities from both countries actively exploring new investment opportunities, according to the statement.
He highlighted a significant increase in cultural exchanges, adding that Bangladeshi students have shown strong interest in higher education opportunities in Pakistan, particularly in medical sciences, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. Haider also said that Dhaka-Karachi direct flights are expected to start in January.
"Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus welcomed the growing interactions between the two countries and emphasized the importance of increased visits as well as cultural, educational and people-to-people exchanges among SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) member states," the statement read.
"Professor Yunus also underscored the need to further boost Bangladesh–Pakistan trade and expressed hope that during Mr. Haider’s tenure, both countries would explore new avenues for investment and joint venture businesses."
