QUETTA: At least 14 people, including three Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, were martyred and several others injured in a blast near a railway track close to Chaman Phatak in Quetta on Sunday, officials said.
According to Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind, the explosion targeted civilians near the railway track, leaving multiple women and children among the injured.
The injured were shifted to hospitals in Quetta, where an emergency was declared and additional doctors and medical staff were called in to handle the situation.
Rind said security forces cordoned off the area immediately after the blast, while investigators and forensic teams began collecting evidence from the site.
“Targeting public places reflects the desperation of terrorist elements,” he said, adding that investigations into the incident were ongoing.
Railway authorities said the Jaffar Express, bound for Peshawar, was stopped at Quetta Railway Station as a precaution after the explosion.
Babar Yousafzai, spokesperson for the interior minister, said all relevant institutions had been placed on high alert following the attack. He urged citizens to avoid gathering near the blast site to allow rescue and security operations to continue without obstruction.
Later, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Quetta and jointly chaired a high-level meeting with Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, according to a statement issued by the interior ministry.
During the meeting, the Balochistan police chief briefed participants on the initial findings of the investigation.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the blast, describing it as a “heinous” act of terrorism.
In a statement, President Zardari said forces hostile to Pakistan were attempting to undermine initiatives aimed at promoting peace and stability.
“There should be no doubt that Pakistan will defeat terrorists, their facilitators, financiers and those providing them safe havens,” he said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said such attacks could not weaken the resolve of the Pakistani people and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to eliminating terrorism in all its forms.
He also expressed condolences to the families of the victims and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi also condemned the attack, alleging that elements based in India and Afghanistan were involved in sponsoring terrorism.
Abbasi said the explosion caused the derailment of the train’s engine and three coaches, and directed railway authorities to submit an immediate report on the incident.