–Chinese delegation, headed by Ambassador Nong Rong apparent target in organized terror attack
-Entire Chinese delegation remained completely safe, being out of hotel
-Preliminary probe suggest strong foreign involvement behind attack
-Two Assistant Commissioners amongst the injured
Bureau Report
QUETTA: At least four people were killed and 11 others injured, including 2 Assistant Commissioners in an apparent car-bombing in the parking lot of the Serena Hotel in Balochistan’s capital here on Wednesday night
Initial reports say that a Chinese delegation, headed by Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Mr. Nong Rong was also residing at the attacked hotel, however, the entire delegation remained completely safe as they were at a banquet by Balochistan Chief Minister, far away from the hotel. It appears that the Chinese delegation was the main target of the organized terror attack but since the movement schedule of the Chinese guests was being kept highly confidential, the terror planner could not achieve the planned goals.
Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad, while talking to media, confirmed the presence of Chinese Ambassador and his delegation at Quetta and the same hotel but he also confirmed that all the Chinese guests were away from the hotel in another official engagement when the attack at hotel took place. He confirmed the safety and security off the members of the Chinese delegation.
Preliminary investigations, carried on the basis of style and explosives used in the terror attack suggest a strong foreign hand and the splinter groups of an infamous terror group, having strong links with Indian Intelligence mechanism and Afghanistan’s rather rogue intelligence NDS. However no official announcement is being made until detailed investigations are concluded.
Quetta Civil Hospital Medical Superintendent Arbab Kamran Kasi confirmed the number of dead and injured, saying two people were in critical condition.
Balochistan Inspector General of Police Tahir Rai confirmed that the explosion occurred in the parking lot of Serena Hotel.
He added that the hotel premises have been cordoned off and the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) has been deployed to investigate the incident.
Footage shared from the scene showed huge flames and plumes of smoke rising into the sky.
“The Quetta Serena Hotel is the only four-star deluxe hotel in the city of Quetta,” according to the hotel’s website. It is located on the Shahrah-e-Zarghun Road.
Meanwhile, police and Frontier Corps personnel also reached the spot and cordoned off the area.
Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal has condemned the blast and summoned a report from authorities concerned.
Last week, at least 12 people were injured in an explosion during a football tournament being held at a ground in Allahabad Town located in Balochistan’s industrial town of Hub.
The tournament was dedicated to police martyrs. “The explosion occurred while the final match was being played,” Lasbela SSP Tariq Ilahi had said.
There has been an uptick in violence in Balochistan, with several incidents of terrorism being reported last year.
On October 16, seven soldiers of Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan and seven security guards were martyred in an ‘encounter’ with a “large number of terrorists” while escorting a convoy of state-run Oil & Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDCL) on the Makran Coastal Highway in Ormara.
The convoy was on its way to Karachi from Gwadar when it came under attack.
In August last year, at least eight people, including police and FC personnel, were injured in a blast in Hub.
In April 2019, at least 14 people, including 11 personnel of Navy, Air Force and Coast Guards, were killed by gunmen after they were picked out with the help of their computerized national identity cards (CNICs) and offloaded from seven buses in the Buzi Pass area near Ormara.
