Remote-Controlled Bomb Strikes Convoy on Press Club Road
At least eight people, including seven Levies Force personnel, were injured in a powerful blast targeting the convoy of Kech Deputy Commissioner (DC) Major (retd) Bashir Barech in Turbat, Balochistan, on Monday, police confirmed. The attack occurred near Press Club Road when a remote-controlled explosive device planted in a motorcycle was detonated as the DC’s convoy passed by.
According to Kech Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Captain (retd) Zohaib Mohsin, the explosion was triggered remotely, severely damaging several vehicles and nearby buildings. “The bomb was planted in a motorcycle and exploded as the DC’s convoy was moving through the area,” he said. Initially, five Levies personnel and a passerby were reported injured, but later updates confirmed the number had risen to eight, including seven Levies personnel.
SSP Mohsin stated that DC Bashir Barech escaped unhurt as he was travelling in a bulletproof vehicle. His car sustained partial damage, but his security detail bore the brunt of the impact. Police and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel quickly reached the blast site, cordoning off the area as a search and investigation operation was launched.
Rising Wave of Terrorism in Balochistan
The incident underscores the continuing surge in terrorist violence across Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where law enforcement agencies have been frequent targets. The resurgence follows the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)’s decision to end its ceasefire with the government in 2022.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif recently voiced concern over the escalating violence while addressing the Balochistan Workshop in Islamabad, urging policymakers to examine the root causes behind the province’s persistent unrest.
Balochistan has suffered multiple attacks in recent months. On October 9, a bomb blast on a railway track near Dera Murad Jamali killed a railway employee and disrupted train services. Earlier, on September 30, ten people were martyred and 32 injured in an explosion near the Frontier Corps headquarters in Quetta. Other recent attacks include a blast targeting the Jaffar Express in Mastung, an explosion near a taxi stand in Chaman, and an attack on a Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) rally at Quetta’s Shahwani Stadium.
Monday’s bombing in Turbat adds to the growing list of violent incidents highlighting the deteriorating security situation in Balochistan and the urgent need for reinforced counterterrorism measures.
