1 killed, 4 injured as 3 explosions rock Balochistan

One person was killed and four others were injured in three separate explosions that took place in Quetta, Turbat and Naseerabad areas of Balochistan on Thursday, police said.

Seniour Supritendent Police (SSP) Operations Jawad Tariq, while confirming the blasts, said that the first explosion occured in Quetta's Spinny Road area, where one person has died.

According to police, at least three people were injured when a motorcyclist attacked a hotel with a hand grenade at the Dera Allah Yar Bhatti gate area in Naseerabad.

One person was injured in a grenade blast at Maulana Abdul Haq chowk in Turbat's main market.

Upon arrival at the scenes, the police cordoned off the areas and shifted the injured to the nearby hospitals.

The explosions occurred at a time when the country is gearing up for the general elections, scheduled for February 8.

However, the recent surge in terror attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan has prompted the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to overview the law and order situation in the two provinces.

According to sources, the electoral body is mulling delaying elections in the two provinces after attacks on political rallies, offices, and candidates for the last few weeks.

A day earlier, an Independent candidate from NA-8 Bajaur, Rehan Zeb Khan, who was also a youth activist of PTI, was killed by unknown assailants in the Siddiqabad Phatak Bazar area of the tribal district.

In a separate incident in Killa Abdullah district, unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle sprayed bullets on supporters of the Awami National Party (ANP), killing one person.

House of Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, a former provincial minister and PPP candidate for the provincial assembly, was also attacked by a grenade in Kech district.

On January 30, the PTI rally was attacked by a planted bomb, in which four people were killed while six were wounded.

Meanwhile, the electoral body has convened a crucial meeting today to discuss the worsening state of law and order in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.

The meeting, scheduled at 3pm in Islamabad, will be attended by the minister and secretary of interior, chief secretaries, inspectors general of KP and Balochistan, and officials from intelligence agencies.