Quetta | Pakistan

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Yahya Afridi arrived in Quetta today on his first official visit to the provincial capital since assuming office.

QUETTA: Iran Air plans to launch direct weekly passenger and cargo flights from Quetta to the Iranian cities of Zahidan and Mashhad in a move aimed at boosting trade and travel between the neighbouring countries, an Iranian diplomat announced on Saturday. The new air service will help facilitate commerce, reduce travel time and costs for traders, and strengthen bilateral ties, said Ali Reza Rajai, Iran’s acting consul general in Quetta. The announcement was made at a ceremony organised by the Pak-Iran Joint Chamber of Commerce. The flights are intended “to facilitate trade and travel between Pakistan and Iran,” Rajai said, stressing the need for stronger cooperation. Top officials from the airline, including Iran Air Chief Agha Karimi and Deputy Chief Agha Ismail, were also in attendance. Mr Rajai said the new service would be critical for enhancing port-to-port cooperation between Pakistan’s Gwadar Port and Iran’s Chabahar Port. He called for bureaucratic hurdles to be removed to improve bilateral business, ...

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta on Tuesday handed Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) chief Dr Mahrang Baloch and other organisers of the group into police custody for 10 days, extending their three-month detention. In March, Mahrang and other BYC members were arrested for “attacking” the Quetta Civil Hospital and “inciting people to violence”, a day after the group faced a police crackdown while protesting against alleged enforced disappearances. The BYC is a Baloch advocacy group working against enforced disappearances since 2018. Mahrang has been held at the Hudda District Prison in Quetta under Section 3 of the Mainte­nance of Public Order (MPO) — a law that empowers authorities to arrest and detain individuals suspected of posing a threat to public order. Mahrang’s counsel, Advocate Israr Baloch, told Dawn.com that the BYC organiser and five other activists were presented before Judge Saadat Bazai, who approved the state prosecutor’s request for their 10-day physical remand. The other activists were ...

QUETTA - The 7th Muharram procession ended peacefully in the provincial capital Quetta on Thursday.

Six people were killed and seven were injured after a passenger bus caught fire after colliding with a loader rickshaw carrying petrol on the Western Bypass in Quetta, police said on Monday. Fatal road accidents on highways occur frequently in Pakistan, mainly due to overspeeding, hazardous overtaking and disregard for traffic rules. According to Shalkot Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Athar Rashid, “In the tragic incident, five passengers on the bus were killed and seven others were injured.” He said that the bodies of the deceased had become unrecognisable due to the burns. “The injured were taken to the Bolan Medical Complex and Civil Hospital, and two of them are in critical condition,” he said. DSP Rashid added that the local bus was going from Nawan area to Hazarganji when the accident occurred at the Raisani area on the Western Bypass, adding that the bus caught fire after colliding with a petrol-laden loader rickshaw. In a statement, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind expressed sorr...

A tragic road accident on Quetta’s Western Bypass claimed six lives after a passenger bus was engulfed in flames, leaving ten others injured.

A one-day workshop titled "The Journey of Dreams" was successfully held at BUITEMS University, Quetta, uniting nearly 30 youth participants from various academic disciplines to explore the deep connection between personal aspirations and peacebuilding, with a focus on countering extremist ideologies.

QUETTA - Three people including a policeman sustained injuries when terrorists riding on motorcycle hurled hand grenade at them at Eastern Bypass near Bakra Market area of Quetta on Monday.

QUETTA - At least two people were martyred and seven others sustained injuries in bomb blast near Hanna Police Station area of Quetta on Saturday.

Two people were killed and 11 others were injured in an explosion in the Killi Mangal area near Quetta in Balochistan, a police official told Dawn.com on Saturday. According to Hanna Urak Station House Officer (SHO) Naveed Akhtar, Abdul Salam, a notable and the owner of a coal mine, was the target of the attack. “A banned organisation tried to extort money from him,” Akhtar told Dawn.com. “When he did not pay, around 100 armed suspects attacked his mine and destroyed the machinery there.” The SHO said that Salam, his brother and several of his men arrived at the mine, but were ambushed by the suspects and a gun battle ensued. “The armed suspects had planted explosives in the mine,” the SHO said. “They fled the scene before the explosion. Salam and his brother were killed by one of the explosives. There were also 11 injuries.” Immediately after the explosion, police and security forces reached the scene and started collecting evidence from the crime scene. According to SHO Akhtar, the suspects were armed with ...

At least two people lost their lives and seven others were injured in a powerful explosion near the Killi Mangla area of Quetta on Saturday, in what police believe was a targeted attack.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir are scheduled to visit Quetta today (Saturday) for a one-day trip focused on addressing the law and order situation in Balochistan.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir on Wednesday will undertake an emergency visit to Quetta.

QUETTA - A man died and 10 others injured when a bomb blast struck the convoy of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPA Ali Madad Jattak in Quetta on Wednesday.

One person was killed and 10 others injured when a blast struck the convoy of PPP MPA Ali Madad Jattak in Quetta on Wednesday, but the lawmaker was unharmed. Sariab Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Asif Ghafoor told Dawn.com: “The convoy of PPP MP Ali Madad Jatak was attacked with hand grenades and fired upon on Sariab Road in Quetta. The incident took place near Munir Mengal Chowk. Ali Madad Jatak was unharmed in the attack, but his vehicle was partially damaged.” He said five people were injured in the incident, who were immediately moved to Bolan Medical Complex Hospital and Civil Hospital. Ghafoor said a heavy contingent of police reached the spot and cordoned off the area to launch an investigation that was under way. He said Jatak was heading towards a meeting place along with his convoy to attend a victory rally. However, a statement issued by the Balochistan Health Department said 11 injured were brought to the Civil Hospital Accident and Trauma Centre. It added that after being provided initial ...

A rally led by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Member of Provincial Assembly Ali Madad Jatak was targeted in a grenade attack on Munir Ahmed Mengal Road in Quetta, injuring two individuals, police reported.

QUETTA: Members of the Hindu community staged a protest rally in Quetta on Wednesday, condemning what they called baseless allegations against Pakistan by the Indian government regarding the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam in held Kashmir. Led by Sanjay Kumar, a PPP minority member of the Balochistan Assembly, the rally included men and women carrying placards and banners with anti-Modi and anti-India slogans. The protesters marched through various roads and streets of the provincial capital before gathering outside the Quetta Press Club. Chanting slogans against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government, protesters rejected any involvement by Pakistan in the Pahalgam attack. “The Hindu community in Pakistan stands united with the country’s armed forces. If India dares commit aggression, over 10 million Hindus in Pakistan will stand behind our military,” Sanjay Kumar said while addressing the gathering. Other speakers, including several women, also condemned the Indian government’s actions an...

QUETTA - Four Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were martyred and three others suffered injuries in a bomb blast near a security official’s vehicle in Quetta’s Margate area, police sources said on Friday.