Terrorism continues to grip restive Balochistan since 2001 —II

August 30: Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Shia Sessions judge, Zulfiqar Naqvi, along with his driver and a police bodyguard at Quetta’s Munir Mengal Road.

September 1: Unidentified gunmen shot dead seven Shias in Quetta.

September 26: Unknown gunners again shot dead three persons, including a senior official of the Geological Survey of Pakistan, in Quetta.

September 26: Mohsin Anwar Kazim, a member of the Shia community, was gunned down in Quetta.

October 8: At least 12 people were injured when a bomb exploded near Zarghoon Road in Quetta.

October 12: A dozen more perished in a bomb explosion near a restaurant on Nishtar Road in Sibi. Same day, three security personnel were killed in Dera Bugti, when their vehicle hit a landmine.

October 16: Gunmen shot dead four people from the Shia community again in Quetta.

October 17: Firing on a tanker on National Highway in Dera Murad Jamali killed one man.

October 19: A bomb planted on a bicycle killed at least three paramilitary soldiers in Quetta. Same day, a Frontier Corps constable was killed when armed men attacked a check post in the restive Dera Bugti.

November 2: At least 18 persons were killed after unknown gunmen opened fire on a bus in Khuzdar.

November 6: Agha Aftab Haider Jaffri, a prominent Shia leader, was shot dead in Quetta. Same day, four people, including three Hazara Shias, were also killed in separate shooting incidents in Quetta.

November 22: A series of three bomb attacks in the three cities had collectively killed at least 37 people.

Year 2013:

January 1: At least three fishermen were shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in the Pasni town of Gwadar District.

January 5: Unidentified militants had opened fire and killed four passengers aboard a train (Jaffar Express) near Kohsar area of Bolan district.

January 8: Unidentified armed assailants fired indiscriminately at two tankers carrying LPG in Shiehkwasil area in Mastung District, killing three persons.

January 10: At least 105 persons were killed in two separate bomb blasts on Alamdar Road in Quetta. Many of the casualties were caused by the second blast as police and media were rushing to the scene. The bombed area is predominantly a Shia locality.

January 27: At least three members of a pro-government tribal militia were killed when insurgents attacked their camp in Tilli Mat area of Dera Bugti District.

January 28: Two personnel of the Pakistan Air Force were among the three persons killed in Pasni (Gwadar District).

January 30: Four persons were shot dead in Dera Bugti District.

January 31: At least six militants were killed in a targeted operation in the Mangochar area of Kalat District.

February 16: At least 92 people were killed after a suicide bomber had struck a busy Quetta market. Police said it was a sectarian attack and the Shia community was the target.

February 19: Four suspected militants were killed in a police operation. They were accused of killing Shias in the Hazara town incident.

February 23: At least six labourers working on the Makran Coastal Highway, which links the area to Karachi, were shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Shadi Kaur area of Gwadar District.

February 28: The Balochistan Levies recovered three dead bodies from Gazba Road area in Qilla Abdullah District.

Match 22: At least 10 people were killed when a bomb planted on a motorcycle-rickshaw exploded in a Dera Allahyar town market.

April 16: At least four people were killed, including the son, brother and nephew of Sanaullah Zehri, the provincial chief of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) and the sitting chief minister of the province, in restive Khuzdar district.

April 30: An independent candidate, Abdul Fateh Magsi, was shot dead along with his three supporters in Jhal Magsi area.

May 5: Four persons were killed when the convoy of Sardar Sarfaraz Khan Domki and Mir Dostain Khan Domki, the grandsons of late Nawab Bugti, came under a bomb attack in Tali area of Sibi District. They were contesting the May 11 polls and were out mustering support.

May 11: At least 15 persons were killed when unidentified assailants had attacked the convoy of an election candidate on the polling day in Naseerabad District.

May 12: Balochistan Inspector General of Police, Mushtaq Sukhera, narrowly escaped a suicide attack in the high security zone on Quetta’s Zarghoon Road. Some seven people had resultantly lost lives.

And then just two days prior to this particular incident, terrorists blew up Quaid-e-Azam’s Residency in Ziarat, besides attacking a bus of women students enrolled in a Quetta medical college.

June 15, 2013: At least 25 people, including Mansoor Kakar, the deputy commissioner of Quetta, 14 students of Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s University and four nurses were killed when a bomb ripped through a bus, followed by a suicide attack and a gun battle in the Bolan Medical College hospital, where the injured students were taken for treatment. Assistant Commissioner Quetta, Anwar Ali, and two police officials had also suffered bullet wounds.

July 15, 2013: Motorcycle-riding gunmen had killed seven people in Quetta. Four members of the Hazara religious minority were among the victims.

August 8: A suicide bomber targeted a funeral being held for a police officer in Quetta. Around 40 people were consequently killed.

October 10: A bomb explosion outside a city police station in Quetta killed five and injured 37 others.

Year 2014:

January 1, 2014: A bomb blast on the Qambrani road in Quetta’s Akhtarabad area killed three people.

January 21: A bomb planted on a bus killed 24 Shiite pilgrims in southwest area of Balochistan 

June 8: At least 24 people were killed when militants had attacked a bus carrying Shia pilgrims from Iran to Quetta.

On June 14, 2014, a minority member of the Balochistan Assembly, Handery Masih, was killed by his guard in Quetta.

On June 20, 2014, An Environmental Tribunal judge, Sakhi Sultan, was killed in a firing incident in Quetta’s Jinnah Town area.

August 15, 2014: At least 13 reported militants had tried to storm two Pakistan Air Force bases, Samungli Airbase and Khalid Airbase, in Quetta. The attack was foiled by security officials. A dozen militants were killed.

In November 2014, one person was killed and 20 were injured in an explosion targeting a vehicle carrying anti-terrorist court judge Nazeer Ahmed Langove in Quetta.

Year 2015: 

January 13, 2015: Insurgents shot and killed at least seven security forces personnel in Loralai District.

February 24, 2015: A bomb killed at least one in Chaman district.

April 11, 2015: Militants gunned down 20 laborers in Turbat.

May 29, 2015: At least 22 bus passengers were killed in Mastung. The gunmen were clad in uniforms of security personnel.

October 19, 2015: At least 11 people were killed and another 22 were wounded after a bomb exploded in a Quetta bus.

High-ranking police official targeted in Balochistan during the last 15 years:

Sitting Punjab IG Mushtaq Sukhera had dodged death twice in May 2013 and on August 8, 2013, while he was serving as Inspector General Police Balochistan.

It is pertinent to note that the then CCPO Quetta Mir Zubair was also accompanying IGP Mushtaq Sukhera on one of the two occasions.

On November 17, 2009, Deputy Inspector General, Nizam Shahid Durrani, was seriously wounded in a blast in Quetta.

On September 18, 2013, SP Sariab Area (Quetta) Basheer Ahmed Barohi, had managed to live on after his official vehicle was fired at by unknown gunmen.

Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General Operations Quetta Fayyaz Sumbal and Deputy Superintendent Police Quetta, Shamsur Rehman, were fatally hit by terrorists in Quetta on August 8, 2013.

Apart from the terrorism in Quetta on August 8 (Monday), here follows some of the major terror incidents that have rocked Quetta since the start of 2016:

January 13, 2016: At least 15 people are killed and several injured after a bomb had exploded near a Quetta polio centre.

January 29, 2016: A suicide bomber, who had attempted to enter the Zhob District Cantonment area during Friday prayers, had blown himself up at a check-post after the security personnel on duty had signalled him to stop. Seven people were injured.

February 6, 2016: At least nine people were killed and several others wounded when a suicide bomber had hit a vehicle of the patrolling Frontier Corps in Quetta.

It is imperative to note that on June 14, 2016, at least five alleged terrorists had been killed in a gun battle with security forces in Chashma Achozai area on the outskirts of Quetta.

And on June 16, 2016, the Counter Terrorism Department, assisted by the intelligence agencies, had arrested a key commander of a banned outfit in Quetta.

Militant commander Khaliq Dad was apprehended during an action in Nawakali. He was said to be the mastermind of several terror activities.

(concluded)