An explosive device killed at least three people on Sunday in the capital of Balochistan province, despite heightened security as opposition political parties held a large open-air rally in another part of the city, local police said.
The top leaders of an alliance of major opposition parties have held rallies in two other cities this month as part of a campaign to oust the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan over his alleged failure in handling the country’s economic crisis.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Six people were also wounded when the bomb, planted in a motorcycle, detonated Sunday afternoon in a vegetable market that had largely closed for the day, said Azhar Akram, a senior police officer in Quetta.
According to police, unidentified miscreants had planted explosive device with a motorbike and parked it near Hazarganji Fruit Market which went off. As a result, three people died on the spot while six others received injuries. The bodies and the injured were shifted to Sheikh Zayed Hospital where the injured are being treated.
The bodies of the deceased were identified as Shah Nawaz, Khairullah and Haji Azad Khan. Two of the injured have been identified as Haji Shah and Abdul Hameed. Law enforcement agencies have cordoned off the entire area and started investigation.
The market is several kilometers from where the political rally was taking place. Local TV footage showed several vehicles on fire following the blast, and Akram said explosive experts were examining the scene.
Cell phone service in Quetta had been suspended as a security precaution ahead of Sunday’s rally, and additional security forces were deployed to the patrol the city, said Liaquat Shahwani, spokesman for the Balochistan government. He said the opposition parties had been warned of the risk of violence.
