At least one killed in Quetta blast

At least one person was killed in an explosion near Spinny Road in Quetta on Wednesday, Aaj News reported.

After the explosion, police cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.

The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was also called to inspect the area.

According to the SHO of Kharotabad Police Station, the deceased was a terrorist who exploded himself.

He said the alleged terrorist wanted to target the nearby police checkpoint but failed.

According to the official, explosives were found near his body.

The development comes days after a powerful blast hit the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) workers’ convention in the Shandai Mor area of Khar, Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing 65 people and injuring dozens of others.

Over the past few months, Pakistan’s law and order situation has worsened, with terrorist groups executing attacks with near impunity across the country.

A report released this month by the think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies said the first half of the current year witnessed a steady and alarming rise in terror and suicide attacks, claiming the lives of 389 people across the country.

Last week, a policeman was martyred in a “suicide blast” inside a mosque in the Jamrud area of KP’s Khyber district.

In January, a suicide bomber linked to TTP blew himself up in a mosque inside a police compound in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 100 people, including police officers.

The militant assaults have been focused on regions abutting Afghanistan, and Islamabad alleges some are being planned on Afghan soil — a charge Kabul denies.