At least two dead, several injured in Quetta blast

• Rescue teams, LEAs reach scene immediately.
• Injured shifted to nearby hospital for treatment.
• Security forces cordon off area and launch investigation.

QUETTA: At least two people were killed and six others injured in an explosion near Nawan Killi, an area on the outskirts of the provincial capital Quetta, the police said on Saturday.

Rescue teams and law enforcement officials reached the scene immediately, while the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital.

The nature of the blast is yet to be determined as security forces cordoned off the area and launched an investigation.

The country has been reeling under increased terrorist attacks targeting especially the law enforcers and security forces since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The country witnessed a sharp increase in terror attacks in January 2025, surging by 42% compared to the previous month, according to data released by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), a think tank.

The data revealed that at least 74 militant attacks were recorded nationwide, resulting in 91 fatalities, including 35 security personnel, 20 civilians, and 36 militants. Another 117 individuals sustained injuries, including 53 security forces personnel, 54 civilians, and 10 militants.

A day earlier, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Hidayat Buledi embraced martyrdom when armed assailants, belonging to Fitna al-Hindustan, attacked the residence of the deputy commissioner in Sorab city of Balochistan's Khuzdar district, according to spokesperson Shahid Rind.

In a statement, Rind said that armed terrorists, belonging to proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), stormed Sorab Bazaar, looting a commercial bank and setting fire to residences of several government officials.

Following the incident, security forces, including the Frontier Corps (FC), police, and Levies, launched a search and clearance operation in the area.

Earlier on May 21, a powerful explosion near Zero Point in Balochistan's Khuzdar targeted a school bus, martyring eight, including five students and injuring dozens of others, drawing condemnations from across the country as well as the international community.

Terrorists targeted the school bus as it was heading towards the educational institute with more than 40 students on board in the district of Balochistan, which is among the worst terror-hit provinces.

Earlier, The News quoting intelligence sources reported that India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has activated its proxies in Balochistan to fuel violence and terrorism.

Following the failure of a previous false flag operation in Pahalgam, RAW is allegedly using groups like the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and Fitna-al-Khawarij, as well as illegal Afghan nationals, to carry out attacks in Gwadar, Quetta, and Khuzdar.

In April, ISPR Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said that India has activated its “assets” to intensify terrorist attacks in Pakistan, presenting “irrefutable evidence” of Indian state-sponsored terrorism.