Deadly Blast Kills 6 In Pakistan's Quetta; Several Injured

A deadly blast in Pakistan's Balochistan province on Tuesday left six dead and several others injured, according to media reports.

The blast occurred in the city of Quetta, near Zarghoon Road, the Express Tribune newspaper reported.

Quoting the police, the report added that six people were killed in the deadly blast while at least 19 others were left injured.

The Balochistan Health Department imposed an emergency in hospitals across the city, the Dawn newspaper reported, quoting Health Secretary Mujeebur Rehman.

“All consultants, doctors, pharmacists, staff nurses, and paramedical staff have been directed to remain present in the hospitals,” Rehman said.

“Nineteen people injured in the blast were brought to the Civil Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department and the Trauma Centre," the newspaper quoted provincial Health Department Media Coordinator Dr Waseem Baig as saying.

It must be noted that Quetta has been central to a decades-long, low-level insurgency waged by Baloch ethno-nationalist groups against the Pakistani state.

The actions of these groups stem from deep-seated grievances that have fueled a cycle of violence for generations.

Being the largest province in Pakistan, Balochistan is rich in minerals and raw materials. However, locals have historically felt the central government often extract the province's minerals with little to not economic remuneration.

This, among other reasons, has fostered significant rebel activity in the province, with The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA). The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) and the Baloch Republican Army (BRA) being some of the prominent rebel groups operating in the region.

Attack on convoys, sabotage of infrastructures and targeted killings have been commonplace in the region, which is in strife with economic instability and cultural inequality.

With inputs from PTI.