QUETTA: Three people were killed while five others were injured in southwestern Pakistan on Thursday after a vehicle was struck by a powerful roadside blast, a government official said.
The blast took place in Balochistan’s Kalat district in a remote mountainous area known as Union Council Kaboto, located around 46 kilometers from Kalat city. Two women were among the three killed in the attack which was triggered by an explosive device planted on the road, Kalat Deputy Commissioner Jameel Ahmed said.
“A vehicle passing the area was hit by the explosion, killing three people including two women and injuring five others,” Baloch said.
The official said the driver of the vehicle was also killed in the blast, which was carrying women passengers to Ameeri area in Kalat district. He said the injured had been shifted to Kalat Teaching Hospital for medical treatment.
 “The district administration and [paramilitary] Levies force commenced an investigation to ascertain who was the target of this latest attack,” Baloch said.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, ethnic Baloch separatist groups, mainly the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), often target soldiers of Pakistan’s armed forces, passengers from the eastern Punjab province, and locals and tribal elders they consider backed by the state.
Pakistan’s largest but least developed Balochistan province shares borders with Iran and Afghanistan. It has long been the site of low-scale insurgency by Baloch separatist groups, who accuse Islamabad of exploiting the province’s natural resources and denying locals a share in its natural resources.
Pakistan’s government and military denies these allegations, claiming that the federal and provincial governments have prioritized Balochistan’s development through various health, education and infrastructure projects.