DIG Balochistan escapes life attempt in suicide attack, one cop killed, 13 injured, 8 vehicles destroyed in Quetta blast

DIG Balochistan escapes life attempt in suicide attack, one cop killed, 13 injured, 8 vehicles destroyed in Quetta blast

By Saleem Mehsud

QUETTA, April 07 : A suicide bomber Thursday rammed an explosive laden vehicle into Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of Police, Wazir Khan Nasir’s residence situated in Police Line Quetta in a high security zone on Gulistan Road, killing one police personnel and injuring 13 others including DIG, his son and daughter.

According to CCPO Quetta Police, Daud Junejo, the suicide attacker first opened fire at the security personnel deployed at the entrance of the targeted house and then blew up his explosive-laden car, killing the guard at the gate. He said DIG Wazir Khan Nasir was slightly wounded in the attack. “This was a suicide attack in which 200 kilogram explosive material was used,” the CCPO confirmed.

He said that Wazir Khan Nasir had received threats from unknown people and in todays’ suicide attack he was the target. “Four motor-shells were also recovered from the spot that were defused by the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) personnel which did not explode in the blast,” the CCPO said, adding that motor-shell explosion could have inflicted great damage but the shell failed to explode.

Bomb disposal squad and police personnel collected evidences from the spot and also body parts of the suicide attacker were recovered from the spot which will be sent for DNA test for investigation.

Police personnel soon cordoned off the entire area and shifted the injured including women, passers-by and school children to Civil Hospital Quetta for treatment. Three of the injured were stated to be in critical condition.

Injured children of DIG Wazir Khan were identified as Zubair and Laiba who were also admitted in the hospital for treatment but their condition was stable.

House of the DIG was completely destroyed while eight vehicles and one motorcycle were also destroyed in the suicide attack. Window panes of the nearby buildings and houses were also destroyed because the blast was very powerful.

Sound of the suicide blast was heard at miles distance from the site of the blast which created panic and fear among the locals. They wondered that how an attack in high security zone was carried out. Sources said that big claims of police that security had been heightened in the city but the attack in high-security zone showed inefficiency of the law enforcement agencies to halt insurgent activities.

No one has yet claimed responsibility of the attack but official sources said that DIG Wazir Khan had played key role in counter-insurgency activities and in arresting the activists of separatists groups in the province.

Balochistan has long been the scene of a low-level insurgency by nationalists who say their movement is aimed at getting a greater share of profits from natural resources like natural gas extracted from Balochistan province.

In yet another incident, police personnel on a tip off raided a house in Khroatabad area of Quetta city and seized explosive material, 20 detonators and fuses, a remote control battery, three walkie talkie sets and remote control system.

A suspected person identified as Mohammad Yousaf was also rounded up during the raid. “Such material of violence could be used in terrorist activities,” the police said.