Two policemen were martyred and another was injured in an attack by unidentified armed men here in the Eastern Bypass area on Friday.
According to the police, a police mobile van was passing from the Eastern Bypass area when it was fired upon by the assailants. Assistant Sub-Inspector Rehmatullah and Constable Ali Asghar died on the spot, while Qurban Ali was injured.
The bodies and the injured were shifted to the Civil Hospital.
The police reached and started a search operation to trace out the suspects.
Quetta Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Syed Fida Hassan Shah confirmed that an unknown assailant had opened fire on police officials. “As a result, two police officials were killed while a driver was injured,” he said.
He said that one of the the deceased was an ASI while the other was a constable.
Earlier reports suggested that the assailants had opened fire on a police van. However, CCTV footage later showed a gunman firing on the officials as they ate at a local hotel.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo condemned the incident in a statement and expressed grief at the deaths in the “terrorist incident”.
“Destructive elements want to disrupt peace in the province,” he said, adding that there would be no compromise regarding the law and order situation.
Bizenjo said that the people of the province stood by the police and security forces. “Police officials and personnel will not be scared by such cowardly acts,” he said, issuing directives for ensuring security in the area.
