A car bomb that has exploded near a market in Pakistan’s restive southwest has killed four people and wounded 20, according to a government official.
The attack was near a market in Qillah Abdullah, a city in the province of Balochistan, Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Riaz said on Monday. The province bordering Afghanistan is plagued by violence mounted by separatist groups.
The blast on Sunday night damaged several shops and the outer wall of a building housing paramilitary forces, the official said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing.
A spokesperson for the Balochistan government condemned the attack and said an investigation is under way.
Local security official Ghulab Khan told the AFP news agency that an improvised explosive device (IED) had been planted in a parked car, suggesting that the target was the paramilitary site but the attack was bungled.
“It seems the IED exploded before reaching its intended destination,” he said. “All those killed are civilian passers-by.”
Balochistan has long been plagued by violence with an array of separatist groups staging attacks, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which was designated as a “terrorist organisation” by the United States in 2019.
The local chapter of ISIL (ISIS) has also increased its activities in recent months.
The attack in Qillah Abdullah came days after four paramilitary officials were killed in the province.
Two weeks ago, seven army soldiers were killed when their vehicle was targeted by an IED. In March, BLA fighters killed 33 people, mostly soldiers, during an assault on a train carrying hundreds of passengers.
Pakistan has witnessed a sharp rise in violence in its regions bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.
Islamabad has accused its western neighbour of allowing its territory to be used to launch attacks, a claim the Taliban has denied.
Pakistan has also often accused India of supporting the BLA and the Pakistani Taliban.
In a rare move this month, the BLA sought Indian support against Pakistan.
The appeal in a May 11 statement came amid heightened tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
“If we receive political, diplomatic and defense support from the world – especially from India – the Baloch nation can eliminate this terrorist state and lay the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and independent Balochistan,” the BLA said.
It assured New Delhi that its fighters, if backed, would open another front against Pakistan’s military near Afghanistan, where the Pakistani Taliban has strongholds.
So far, India has not officially responded to the overture.
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