4 killed, 32 injured as banned outfit bombs bus in Pakistan

Improvised explosive device detonates near bus from Karachi to Turbat city in restive Balochistan province

Karachi: Four people were killed and 32 injured when the banned separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) outfit bombed a passenger bus in the restive Balochistan province of Pakistan on Saturday.

The blast in the New Bahman area of Turbat city took place when an improvised explosive device detonated near the bus from Karachi to Turbat.

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A senior police official said four bodies and 32 injured have been moved to the nearest hospital.

“Exact details of the blast are being investigated but a police official said high-ranking police officer SSP Zohaib Mohsin was in the bus along with his family and could have been the target,” he said.

The senior police official and his family were part of a wedding party on the bus.

Sarfraz Bugti, the Chief Minister for Balochistan province, condemned the attack. “Those who target innocent people do not deserve to be called human beings,” he said.

A separatist group called the Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the blast but gave higher casualty figures. It also said the IED targeted a military convoy.

Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province but the least populated. It’s also a hub for the country’s ethnic Baloch minority, whose members say they face discrimination by the government.

Balochistan is the scene of a long-running insurgency, with several separatist groups staging attacks, mostly targeting security forces in their quest for independence. It also has other militant groups operating from there.