Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo condemned the attack and said that terrorists “cannot demoralise the security forces with cowardly acts”, adding that “the sacrifices of the security forces are a beacon for the nation”.
He also said that law enforcement agencies ensure the country's security with firm determination and courage. “The nation stands with its security forces to thwart the evil intentions of anti-national elements,” Bizenjo stated.
The chief minister also expressed complete solidarity with the martyrs' families and extended his best wishes for the recovery of the injured officials.
A day earlier, unknown miscreants lobbed a hand grenade at the Civil Lines police station in Quetta. Police sources said one policeman injured in the attack has been transferred to a nearby hospital. The officer is said to be out of danger.
The blast left the windows of the police station shattered, but the attackers escaped unhurt from the spot.
Senior police officials reached the spot as an investigation into the incident was initiated.
Nine policemen were martyred and 13 others injured in a powerful blast in Balochistan’s Bolan district on Monday (March 6,2023).
A senior security official told The Express Tribune that a suicide bomber targeted the police van in the Kumbri area.
The policemen were returning from the Sibi festival after performing their duties, when a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden motorcycle into the police van, damaging it severely. The blast was heard far and wide.
“We are collecting evidence from the spot,” the security official said. The target of the terrorists was the historic Sibi Mela that ended on Sunday. They were unable to target the centuries-old festival and succeeded in targeting the security personnel coming back to Quetta from Sibi, the official added.
Sources confirmed the martyrdom of nine policemen and 13 injured in the attack. “The constabulary van was on its way back to Quetta from Sibi when an explosion occurred near the vehicle on the Kumbri bridge in the area bordering Sibi and Kachhi districts,” Mehmood Notezai, the senior superintendent of police, said.
