Attacked church situated in Quetta’s high-security zone

QUETTA: Bethel Memorial Methodist Church that came under attack Sunday morning is situated, on Zarghoon Road, in a high-security zone where important government buildings are situated.

It is for the security of these important installations —such as the Governor House, Chief Minister House and Balochistan Assembly — that stringent measures are always in place in the area.

Not only are personnel deployed, but right side of Zarghoon Road has also been closed for traffic since some time due to security concerns as attacks there have taken place in the past.

In front of the church, on the other side of the two-way Zarghoon Road, is the office of Pakistan Railways divisional superintendent, and behind lies the city’s largest and only train station. The area also houses a locality for inspectors of the railway police.

The church area also has a point, Hockey Chowk, which connects important routes of the city, including Zarghoon Road, Prince Road and White Road.

On Sunday morning when the attack took place, a contingent was also deployed at the church, besides rest of the city, for the security of those who have been frequenting the premises ahead of Christmas.

According to police sources, 3,500 personnel were deployed in different parts of Quetta on Sunday.

As per relevant officials, it were the security measures that were in place because of which further casualties were prevented – 400 people were present in the church for service when the attack took place.

The attack ran alarm bells ringing across the country as security was tightened in the churches of different cities, including Karachi, Hyderabad and Lahore.