Quetta | Pakistan

Mourners shower rose petals on a vehicle carrying coffins of the martyred police personnel.—AFP • Thousands attend funeral prayers offered at Quetta’s Ayub Stadium amid strict security arrangements • Koila Phatak, police stations, educational institutions renamed after martyrs • Bugti reaffirms commitment to ensuring timely implementation of accord QUETTA: The pol­icemen who were martyred in the Ziarat terrorist attack were buried in their native towns on Saturday after their funeral prayers were offered at Ayub Stadium, Quetta, attended by thousands of people following the culmination of a 10-day-long sit-in by their relatives. The sit-in committee agreed to call off the protest after a Friday-night agreement with the provincial government, in which all of their demands, including the call for a judicial probe, were accepted. Besides other measures, the government also agreed to constitute a judicial commission to probe the attacks in Ziarat and Hanna Urak, in which a total of 32 people — 27 policemen in Zia...

QUETTA: A sit-in committee, which included family members of policemen martyred in a deadly terrorist attack in Ziarat, ended its protest on Saturday after reaching an agreement with the Balochistan government last night. On July 6, 27 policemen were martyred in a terrorist attack on a police post in Balochistan’s Ziarat district. Families of the martyred personnel had been holding the sit-in at Quetta’s Koila Phatak since July 9, along with the martyrs’ bodies. “The sit-in has been called off; bodies of seven martyrs had been shifted to their native areas in the early hours of the day; and Koila Phatak has been opened for traffic after 10 days,” the committee announced after the agreement was reached late on Friday night. The provincial government accepted all demands of the bereaved families. Their main demand was establishing a judicial commission for investigating the Ziarat and Hanna Urak incidents that claimed the lives of 32 policemen and civilians. On July 5, armed men attacked the Hanna Urak Valley a...

• Balochistan CM’s aide says accord with protesters to form judicial commission to probe Hanna Urak, Ziarat attacks • Province-wide shutter-down strike observed in solidarity with families of martyred cops QUETTA: The Balochistan government and representatives of a multi-party alliance claimed to have reached an agreement with the families of policemen martyred in a deadly attack in Ziarat, late on Friday night. During the day, a shutter-down strike was observed across Balochistan, with shops and markets closed and all business activities remaining suspended, in solidarity with the families of the policemen, who had been holding a sit-in at Quetta’s Koyila Phatak for nine straight days, along with the martyrs’ bodies. Traders’ organisations, including the Central Anjuman-i-Tajran Balochistan, and all opposition parties had supported the strike call. In a statement, the traders’ body said markets remained closed in Quetta, Kuchlak, Pishin, Saranan, Khanozai, Muslim Bagh, Qila Saifullah, Zhob, Sherani, Loralai,...

South Air’s inaugural flights from Karachi to Quetta, via Turbat, and to Islamabad, via Bahawalpur, departed from Jinnah International Airport on Thursday morning, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said in a statement. The authority added that the new carrier’s flight operations have “ further strengthened Pakistan’s domestic air connectivity”. “The new services represent an important addition to the domestic flight network at Jinnah International Airport, providing passengers with enhanced travel options and improved connectivity.” Initially, South Air will operate one weekly flight on the Karachi-Quetta route via Turbat and three weekly flights on the Karachi-Islamabad route via Bahawalpur. The airline plans to expand its operations with additional flights from Karachi to Peshawar, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur and Gwadar, according to the PAA. “These new air services are expected to promote tourism, facilitate trade and improve travel convenience by strengthening regional connectivity across Pakistan,” PAA sa...

The Balochistan government has announced several measures to restructure administrative units in the province, including splitting Quetta district into East Quetta and West Quetta, it emerged on Saturday. According to a notification issued by the Balochistan government’s Revenue Department on July 8, new divisions, districts, sub-divisions, tehsils and sub-tehsils have been created, while the boundaries of existing divisions and districts have also been realigned. As a result, the number of divisions in Balochistan now stands at 11, and the number of districts has risen to 41. One of the major decisions was the bifurcation of Quetta district into East Quetta and West Quetta along the railway line. East Quetta now comprises the Saddar, City and Sariab sub-divisions, while West Quetta consists of Kuchlak and the newly created Brewery and Panjpai sub-divisions. Brewery tehsil has also been introduced. Mastung district has been detached from Kalat division and included in Quetta division, which now has three dist...

QUETTA: Protesters who had been staging a sit-in at the Quetta Airport Road, triggered by the killing of five tribesmen, injuring of eight and the kidnapping of 11 others from Hanna Urak Valley, called off their protest after the release of the kidnapped people, following successful negotiations between Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti and leaders of the protest committee. On July 5, armed men attacked the Hann Urak Valley area on the outskirts of Quetta, killing five tribesmen, injuring eight others, and abducting 11 others. In protest against the incident, the family members and local tribesmen had blocked the Airport Road for five days, severely affecting city traffic. The protest sit-in was called off after 11 abducted tribesmen were released late Thursday night. Martyred policemen’s families continue their protest; traffic between Quetta, Pishin, and Ziarat remains at a standstill Also, bodies of the five people were handed over to their families who buried them in their graveyards. Balochistan m...

• CM Bugti says 75 terrorists killed in joint ops since July 5; 39 killed in ‘Operation Shaban’ • Claims attempt to attack police station in Khuzdar foiled • NA panel to visit Quetta for security assessment • Police issue detailed account of how attack on Mangi dam post unfolded • Deny reports of policemen resigning, regret spread of ‘fake, planted material’ QUETTA: Security forces have killed 39 more terrorists during the last 48 hours in a massive operation launched in the Shaban area of Quetta district, officials said on Friday. They said security forces, including the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps and police, had been conducting a joint operation in the Shaban area since July 5 against terrorists involved in the killing of 27 police personnel during an attack on a police post at Mangi dam pumping station. The terrorists had martyred nine police personnel, including two station house officers, and took away 18 other policemen at gunpoint. Later, they killed the abducted police personnel, whose bodies were ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is chairing a high-level meeting in Quetta to discuss the security situation in Balochistan after multiple major terrorist incidents in the province in recent days. Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir was also present at the meeting of the Provincial Apex Committee on the National Action Plan to counter terrorism. Addressing the meeting, PM Shehbaz said they had gathered in Balochistan after “very serious incidents took place in the past four days”, resulting in the martyrdom of policemen, soldiers and civilians. Noting that 54 terrorists were killed while responding to those attacks and in subsequent operations, he affirmed, “This war [against terrorism] will continue until the last fasaadi terrorist in Pakistan is eliminated.” “The brave soldiers and officers of the armed forces rendered sacrifices and sacrificed their blood, along with law enforcement agencies and innocent civilians,” he noted. The prime minister affirmed that the...

Balochistan health minister says provincial govt has declared emergency at all hospitals in Quetta

QUETTA - The 9th Muharram Shabeeh Zuljinah procession was taken out in Quetta under strict security arrangements.

An anti-terrorism court in Quetta has found Mahrang Baloch, chief organiser of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, and another group leader guilty in a case involving the death of a security personnel during a protest in Gwadar in 2024 that turned violent. ATC Quetta-1 Judge Muhammad Ali Mobeen heard the case pertaining to the death of a Frontier Corps (FC) personnel who died as a result of injuries received from a mob pelting stones. BYC’s Mahrang, Sibghatullah Shahji and others were nominated in the case. After completing the hearing, the court announced the verdict on Monday, handing life sentences to Mahrang and Sibghatullah, the former’s lawyer Israr Jattak told the media. A written verdict is yet to be released. “The judge of the ATC Quetta has awarded a life term to Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah Shah Ji in the murder case of FC personnel,” Jattak said. While the exact details of the case are unclear, BYC protesters had clashed with security personnel in Gwadar on July 29, 2024 as the organisation gathered...

• Victim’s eyes damaged, but is said to be in stable condition • CM honours ward boy who helped victim; Aseefa recommends him for country’s highest civilian award • FIR registered; political leaders slam incident QUETTA: The Young Doctors Assoc­iation (YDA) on Sunday announced an indefinite strike, shutting down Out-Patient Departments (OPDs) and elective services in all government hospitals across the provincial capital, to protest the acid attack on one of their female colleagues. A day earlier, 29-year-old Mahnoor Nasir was seriously injured at the Civil Hospital when another employee threw acid on her. The attacker, later identified by police as Humayun Shah, was said to have been kil­led in an encounter after law enforcers tra­ced him as he attempted to flee on a bus. Meanwhile, Dr Nasir was shifted to Karachi after receiving initial treatment in Quetta. Currently, she is receiving care at Aga Khan University Hospital. Sources at the hospital diclosed to Dawn that her condition was stable. She has bilate...

QUETTA: A female doctor at the Provincial Civil Hospital in Quetta was seriously injured on Saturday when an employee of the hospital allegedly threw acid on her, police said. A senior official of the Civil Hospital told Dawn that the doctor suffered severe burn injuries to her face, chest, legs and other parts of her body. He added that she was shifted to a private hospital immediately after initial treatment at the Civil Hospital, and that arrangements were being made to transfer her to Karachi via air ambulance. Hospital sources said around 70 per cent of her body was affected in the incident. The suspect, who allegedly committed the act, escaped from the hospital after throwing acid on the doctor. According to police, the accused was killed in an encounter after law enforcers traced him to the area from where he was attempting to flee by bus. Police said they asked the suspect to surrender, but he instead opened fire on the police party. The police retaliated, and in the exchange of fire, the accused was ...

Security forces killed 17 terrorists during intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in different districts of Balochistan following the suicide car bomb attack against a shuttle train in Quetta, said a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Tuesday. At least 14 people were killed and 20 others were injured in the incident, which took place on May 24. The IBOs were conducted in the districts of Mastung, Nushki, Khuzdar and Kech. The military’s media wing added that multiple terrorist locations were targeted by security personnel during these operations. “Following intense and fierce exchanges of fire, 17 terrorists belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna al Hindustan have been sent to hell, giving a significant blow to the terrorist networks operating in these areas,” the statement read. The state has designated Balochistan-based terrorist groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. ISPR added that weapons, ammunition an...

QUETTA: Pakistan Rai­lways resumed train operations from Balochistan on Saturday, restoring services after a three-day suspension, railway officials said. According to the officials, train operations from the province have been fully restored, with the Jaffar Express departing from Quetta for Peshawar. They said that the return service of the Jaffar Express will also depart from Peshawar for Quetta as per the timetable, restoring connectivity between the province and other parts of the country. The Jaffar Express, the only train service from Quetta to Peshawar, was suspended last Sunday following a vehicle-borne suicide bombing that targeted a shuttle train near the Chaman railway crossing. The Jaffar Express, which was ready to depart for its destination, was immediately stopped and later cancelled. Passengers were asked to collect refunds. However, after two days, the train service was restored, but on Wednesday it was again suspended. Railway authorities have not mentioned the reason for the suspension of ...

Political leaders across Balochistan have strongly condemned the recent blast in Quetta and reaffirmed their resolve to stand united against terrorist elements, pledging decisive action against those responsible.

BLA claims responsibility for attack Three FC men among victims as explosion derails engine, three bogies near Chaman Phatak” Emergency declared in Quetta hospitals President, PM, CM condemn attack.

Condemnations poured in on Sunday after suicide attack in Quetta claimed more than 10 lives and left several others injured, with global actors expressing solidarity with Pakistan. The attack targeted a shuttle train, with images following the blast showing a mangled train carriage on its side as people clambered over the wreckage to find survivors. People could be seen carrying blood-soaked victims on stretchers away from a derailed car, while security personnel stood guard. Images from the scene also showed burnt-out vehicles, damaged residential buildings and twisted metal and debris scattered near the railway track, with smoke rising from the wreckage. President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack in separate statements, expressing the resolve to continue the fight against terrorism. Condemnations poured in from others as well, with the Chinese embassy in Pakistan extending “deep condolences to the deceased victims and sincere sympathies to the bereaved families”. “We f...

QUETTA: At least 14 people were killed and 20 others were injured after a blast caused by a vehicle-borne suicide bombing tore through a shuttle train in Quetta on Sunday morning, the Balochistan government said. Hours after the blast, the provincial government said in a statement it was confirming with “profound grief and deep concern” that a train shuttle service near Chaman Phatak in Quetta was targeted in a vehicle-borne suicide bombing. “This cowardly act of terrorism is not only an attack on innocent human lives but also a heinous attempt to undermine peace, stability, and normal civic life in Balochistan,” the statement said. Citing initial reports, it added that “14 people embraced martyrdom while 20 others sustained injuries, including women and children”. “Among the martyrs were three personnel of the Frontier Corps, while the majority of victims were civilians, including pedestrians, passengers, bystanders, and residents living in houses adjacent to the blast site. “Tragically, an entire family of ...

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Quetta following the Chaman Phatak blast, where he was briefed on the initial findings of the investigation.