Six killed in Chaman bomb blast
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At least six people were killed and 15 injured Monday in a bomb explosion caused by a remote-controlled device on the Mall Road in Chaman, Balochistan, police said.
Eight among the injured have been stated to be in a critical condition. The bomb was planted in a motorbike parked outside Nida Market, which destroyed several bikes and other vehicles while also smashing the windowpanes of nearby buildings.
It is a busy area where several markets and government offices are located. In particular, the Nida Market is a hub of mobile phone and accessories shops.
Soon after the incident, police and security personnel cordoned off the locality with the traders shutting down their business amid the panic gripping the city.
A vehicle carrying personnel from the country's anti-narcotic force was believed to be the target of the blast in Chaman town, which borders Afghanistan, senior police official Razzaq Cheema said. "The explosion killed six passersby and wounded 10 others, two of them critically," he told AFP.
Local police official Masood Khan confirmed the attack and casualties.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Baluch separatists demanding greater autonomy have been waging an insurgency for years while the province is also riven by sectarian strife and Islamist violence.
Two ANF personnel also got injured in the incident.
Reacting to the tragic news, Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the bomb blast and prayed for the departed souls as well as early recovery of the injured. Similar views and feelings were expressed by Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani.
On the other hand, Interior Minister Ijaz Shah described the explosion as an attempt to spread fear among the people but vowed to foil all such attempts made by miscreants.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal said the terrorists wanted to sabotage peace in Chaman, adding that fencing the border would help eliminating terrorism and illegal cross-border movement.
Opposition leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Information minister Shibli Faraz and KPK chief minister Mahmood Khan also strongly condemned the cowardly act and reiterated the national resolve to root out the terrorism from the country.