At least nine people died and several others sustained injuries when a suicide bomber hit a vehicle of Frontier Corps (FC) in Quetta.
The deadly blast took place near Liaquat Park in the provincial capital of Balochistan.
According to police, three FC personnel, four civilians and a woman were among those killed in the attack. Another 35 people were injured.
The death toll is feared to go up as some of the injured are in critical condition.
Rescue teams and law enforcement agencies reached the scene and cordoned off the area.
According to sources, suicide bomber on a cycle blew himself up near the FC vehicle close to Liaquat Park.
Initial investigations suggest that 10 to 15 kilograms of explosives were used in the bomb. Several motorcycles and cars were completely destroyed in the attack.
Anwar ul Haq, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, confirmed the martyrdom of three FC men in the terrorist attack.
“It is not an attack on FC; it is an assault on the state of Pakistan,” Haq said. “Our government strongly condemns the heinous act of terrorism.”
The dead and injured were shifted to Civil Hospital and Bolan Medical Complex, where emergency was declared.
Balochistan Home Minister Akbar Durrani said that the nature of the blast was being determined. “Terrorists cannot deter our resolve to root out terrorism. We will continue our action against militants under National Action Plan (NAP),” he said.
Younis Baloch, deputy mayor of Qeutta, said he was personally going to the blast place. “We strongly condemn the terrorist attack,” he said, adding that it was premature to tell who was behind the attack.
Baloch said that he would be in a position to confirm after speaking to security officials.
In a separate incident of firing, a police constable was killed in Quetta.
In a statement, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif denounced the terrorist attack and voiced his grief over loss of precious lives in Quetta. (PhotoNews /Samaa TV)
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