Six killed as president’s motorcade departs Sibi

QUETTA: On Tuesday, a suicide bomber targeted President Arif Alvi’s convoy in Sibi, killing six security people and injuring 22, including 19 law enforcement officers.

Prior to this, the devastating attack inside a Peshawar mosque on Friday had claimed 62 lives and injured 189 others; this is Pakistan’s second big suicide attack in a week.

Authorities said the suicide bomber detonated his device at a government rest house on Jail Road after President Alvi’s entourage and other dignitaries had driven past the area on their way back from the annual Sibi festival’s closing ceremony at Sibi Stadium.

A suicide bomber was responsible for the incident. Sibi Range police DIG Masroor Alam Kolachi reported that a guy in an explosive-laden jacket detonated it near to the security officials who were winding down security procedures after all VVIPs left.

Six Frontier Constabulary (FC) members were killed and 22 others, including civilians, were injured, according to the reports.

Security authorities, including police and Levies officers, immediately blocked off the area while the corpses and the injured were taken to the district hospital and the joint military hospital in Sibi, Pakistan.

Dr Ghulam Sarwar Hashmi, a hospital administrator, stated, “We have received six corpses and over 22 injured at the district hospital.” He assessed the health of at least six injured people as “serious” and said that a helicopter was used to transport them to Quetta.

It is determined that at least five members of the FC, including Hawaldar Abdul Lateef, Naik Abdul Waheed, Sepoy Aftab, and Sepoy Abdul Jalil, as well as one unnamed member of the force, died in the line of duty.

Besides Subaidar Saifullah and Sepoy Samiullah, six other FC members have been identified as Sepoy Nizakat Ali, Sepoy Sadaqat Ali, Sepoy Nizakat Ali, and Sepoy Abdul Rahim. In addition, twelve police officers were injured. Abdul Rasheed, Barkat Ali and Nasarullah were among the four officials who were recognised as sub-inspectors. Pehalwan was identified as an assistant sub-inspector.
Investigators at the Sibi DIG investigated and gathered evidence at the bomb scene, the Sibi DIG stated in a statement. There were body pieces of the suicide bomber located at the scene, he added.

Sibi festival-goers were returning from the event when security agents noticed an individual who was trying to get away from them. When they told him to stop, he started shooting at them and tried to lob a hand grenade at them as well. An effort that went horribly wrong led to him blowing himself up in front of security workers with an explosive.