- IED planted along route being used for coal transportation from Marget coalfield exploded during clearance: Police
QUETTA: At least four Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were martyred and three others injured in an explosion near a bomb disposal squad in the Margate area of Quetta, the police and security sources said on Friday.
The police officials confirmed that the bomb disposal squad of the security forces was targeted with an improvised explosive device in a Quetta suburb.
“As a result of the explosion, four FC personnel were martyred and three others were injured,” they said, adding that the injured were immediately shifted to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH).
The police officials stated that the martyred included Subedar Shahzad Amin, Naib Subedar Abbas and Sepoy Khalil and Sepoy Zahid.
In addition to the fatalities, Lance Naik Zafar, Lines – Naik Farooq and Sepoy Khurram Saleem sustained wounds and were rushed to hospital immediately.
The security sources confirmed the casualties and provided details on the incident.
Following the explosion, security forces swiftly cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to locate the suspects responsible for the attack. Authorities have vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. The blast marks the latest in a series of attacks on security forces in Balochistan, which has been facing a rising tide of insurgent activities in recent months.
“An improvised explosive device (IED) was planted along the route being used for the transportation of coal from the Marget coalfield which exploded when the bomb disposal wing of the Frontier Corps was busy with security clearance of the route,” Quetta Deputy Commissioner Saad bin Asad told Arab News.
“Four soldiers of the BD wing were killed and three wounded in the attack,” he added.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on militants groups who frequently target security forces, ethnic Punjabi commuters and laborers in the restive province.
Separately, a statement from the Counter-Terrorism Department spokesperson said nine alleged militants, wanted by security forces in various terrorism cases, were killed in a fire exchange in Pishin’s Khanai Baba area.
It added that arms and ammunition were recovered from them.
Militant violence surged alarmingly in the country in March, with the number of militant attacks surpassing 100 for the first time since November 2014, according to a report by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (Picss).
The think tank reported 105 militant attacks during the month, resulting in 228 fatalities, including 73 security personnel, 67 civilians, and 88 militants. Additionally, 258 people were injured, comprising 129 security personnel and an equal number of civilians.
Pakistan ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025, with the number of deaths in terrorist attacks rising by 45 per cent over the past year to 1,081.
President Asif Ali Zardari “condemned the Quetta blast and expressed condolences over the loss of life”, according to a statement from the President’s House.
“The president pays tribute to martyred FC soldiers for their services in defending the country,” the statement said, adding that he reiterated the national resolve to eradicate terrorism.
“The entire nation salutes its martyrs and acknowledges their sacrifices,” it quoted President Zardari as saying.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack in Quetta.
In a post on X, the interior ministry said that the minister expressed “sympathies and condolences to the families of martyred FC soldiers”, and prayed for the recovery of injured personnel.
“The FC personnel attained the great status of martyrdom,” the post read. “We salute the sacrifice of the brave sons of FC.”
The minister also described the incident as a “heinous conspiracy” by the enemy to “create instability in the country by carrying out such cowardly acts”.
“The sacrifices of FC soldiers for the establishment of peace in Balochistan will always be remembered,” he added.
