At least 14 people were killed and 20 others injured after a suicide bomber targeted a shuttle train in Quetta on Sunday morning, according to the Balochistan government.
In a statement, the provincial government said it was confirming with “profound grief and deep concern” that a vehicle-borne suicide bomber struck a train shuttle service near Quetta’s Chaman Phatak. “This cowardly act of terrorism is not only an attack on innocent human lives but also a heinous attempt to undermine peace, stability, and normal civic life in Balochistan,” it said.
According to the statement, 14 people were killed and 20 others injured, including women and children. “Among the martyrs were three personnel of the Frontier Corps, while the majority of victims were civilians, including pedestrians, passengers, bystanders, and residents living in houses adjacent to the blast site,” it said. “Tragically, an entire family of four—father, mother, son, and daughter—lost their lives in this heartbreaking incident, leaving the entire province in mourning,” it added.
The statement said emergency response measures were initiated “immediately after the incident,” while an emergency was declared in all major government hospitals in Quetta. “All possible medical assistance and the best available treatment are being provided to the injured,” it said.
“In view of prevailing security concerns, Section 144 was already in force in the area, under which law enforcement agencies had been deployed to maintain security and preventive measures,” it continued, adding the district administration has established a central control room for effective coordination, monitoring, and facilitation of relief operations.
“In addition, a dedicated monitoring and coordination cell has been activated at the Home Department,” it said.
Reportedly, the shuttle train was traveling from Quetta Cantonment to the railway station around 8 a.m. when it was targeted. The explosion derailed three coaches, including the locomotive, while two coaches overturned, state-run APP reported.
Later on Sunday, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi reached Quetta, jointly chairing a meeting on the security situation alongside Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. According to the Interior Ministry, the Balochistan police chief presented an initial report of the blast during the meeting.
“The meeting strongly condemned the cowardly attack on innocent people and extended condolences to the families of those who lost their lives,” it said, adding the federal government “stands with the Balochistan government in this hour of grief.” It further described the targeting of civilians as “savagery.”
“We are grateful to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. He has stood with Balochistan in every difficult time,” it quoted C.M. Bugti as saying, adding he had vowed to punish the “terrorists of Fitna-al-Hindustan” and assured full support to “families of martyrs.”
The state often used “Fitna-al-Hindustan” to refer terrorist groups in Balochistan it alleges are being funded by India to destabilize Pakistan.
Condemnations
In a statement condemning the blast, the Presidency said President Asif Ali Zardari had said such acts of terrorism aim to harm the people of Pakistan and divert attention from the country’s efforts for global peace. “The president said elements hostile to Pakistan are attempting to undermine our initiatives that serve broader humanitarian objectives, global peace and progress,” it said.
Maintaining that there should be no doubt that Pakistan would defeat terrorists, their facilitators, financiers and those providing them safe havens, he said the country would also thwart every conspiracy against peace, stability and national security.
Separately, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the “heinous bomb explosion” in a posting on X. “Such cowardly acts of terrorism cannot weaken the resolve of the people of Pakistan. We remain steadfast in our determination to eliminate terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” he said, expressing his condolences to the families of the victims and praying for the swift recovery of the injured.
“The entire nation stands in solidarity with the people of Balochistan in this hour of grief,” he said.
C.M. Bugti also condemned the attack in a posting on X. “Let the enemy hear this: there will be no safe haven left for terrorists in Balochistan. We will hunt down the terrorists, their facilitators, and their masterminds one by one and bring them to justice, and this war will continue until the last terrorist is eliminated,” he said.