Blast in Balochistan Market Kills Two Children, Woman; 13 Injured

On Saturday, a blast in Balochistan’s Pishin district resulted in the deaths of two children and a woman, with 13 others, including two policemen, injured. The explosion occurred at a busy market near Surkhab Chowk, a site frequently targeted in recent attacks on police and checkposts, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The attack comes amid escalating violence following the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP) breach of a ceasefire agreement with the government in 2022. According to Wakeel Sherani, the medical superintendent at Pishin Civil Hospital, two children were confirmed dead, and initially, 14 people were injured. Thirteen of the injured were referred to the Quetta Trauma Centre, where a woman later died from her injuries. Five others remain in serious condition, two have minor injuries, and three are still receiving treatment.

Pishin City Station House Officer (SHO) Mujibur Rehman reported that the explosive material was apparently planted in a motorcycle, leading to the damage of three vehicles. The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) and the Bomb Disposal Squad are investigating the site for evidence.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, describing it as an act of cowardice and calling for exemplary punishment for those responsible. This incident follows a recent attack in Noshki district and another blast last month in Pishin targeting a CTD vehicle. On the same day, a soldier from the Frontier Corps South was killed, and seven others were injured in Kech district’s Buleda area.