QUETTA: An explosion in the Chamrok area of Balochistan’s Khuzdar district claimed the lives of at least three individuals, including the President of Khuzdar Press Club, Muhammad Siddique Mengal, on Friday, officials confirmed.
The tragic incident unfolded on Sultan Ibrahim Khan Road, coinciding with World Press Freedom Day, as a remote-controlled device detonated near Mengal’s vehicle while he was en route from his residence to the university.
Mengal, who was also a provincial officer-bearer of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F), was killed instantly, while approximately ten others sustained injuries, according to police officials. First responders swiftly transported the injured pedestrians to Khuzdar District Headquarters Hospital for treatment. Upon receiving reports of the explosion, police and rescue teams rushed to the scene, cordoning off the area and initiating investigations.
A large number of people reached the hospital after the incident.
Sources indicate that Mengal had received a death threat in the form of a letter last month, raising concerns about his safety. Additionally, a few months prior, he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt in a shooting incident.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti swiftly denounced the attack and instructed the Inspector General of Police to expedite efforts to apprehend those responsible.
Expressing his condolences in the wake of the attack, Bugti described the loss of a journalist on the World Press Freedom Day in Balochistan as a tragic development. Maulana Abdul Wasey, Amir of JUI-F Balochistan, joined in condemning the killing, urging the government to take decisive action against the perpetrators.
In response to the outrage sparked by the incident, the Balochistan Union of Journalists organised a protest demonstration, calling for the immediate arrest of the journalist’s assailants. Khalil Ahmed, President of BUJ, demanded justice as journalists brandished placards and banners bearing condemnations of the killing and passionately voiced their dissent against such acts of violence. –Agencies
