Chethana Janith, Jadetimes Staff
C. Janith is a Jadetimes news reporter covering science and geopolitics.
A suicide bombing at a train station in southwestern Pakistan on Saturday killed at least 25 people, with a separatist militant group in the region claiming responsibility for the attack.
Another 53 people were injured in the blast, which took place in the city of Quetta, according to Commissioner Hamza Shafqaat.
"The explosion at the railway station was a suicide bombing," Shafqaat confirmed in a statement.
The incident occurred around 9 a.m. on a platform at the city’s main railway station, stated Senior Police Superintendent Muhammad Baloch.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a militant group active in the area, claimed responsibility for the attack.
"The explosion happened when a large number of passengers were present on the platform," said Baloch.
Fareed, an eyewitness, described the scene: "There was chaos everywhere. People were running, and many were lying injured or worse, some without limbs."
Passengers, railway staff, and security personnel were among those killed, according to a senior local government official.
Security forces have sealed off the area, and investigations are ongoing. The province’s Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti has ordered a full inquiry.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack in a statement.
The insurgency in Balochistan has persisted for decades, recently intensifying as the deep-water Gwadar port in the province has become a critical part of China’s ‘Belt and Road’ infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
The BLA has been behind several major attacks in Pakistan this year, including an October attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers and investors in Karachi, where two Chinese citizens were killed.
