Two martyred, three wounded in Chaghi blast

• Roadside blast took place in Chaghi bazaar.
• Bomb exploded when a security forces' vehicle was nearby.
• Two people martyred, three wounded in the blast: Levies.

QUETTA: Two people were martyred and three were wounded in a roadside explosion in Balochistan's Chaghi area on Wednesday, official said.

According to the Levies force, the blast took place in Chaghi bazaar — at a distance of 60 kilometres from Dalbandin near the Pak-Afghan border — when a security forces vehicle was passing by.

Security forces have surrounded the area, while the wounded have been moved to Dalbandin hospital for medical treatment, Levies said.

The attack comes days after more than 60 people died in two separate suicide attacks in Balochistan's Mastung and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Hangu city on September 29.

Meanwhile, a patrolling post in the Kundal area of Punjab’s Mianwali district also came under attack by 10 to 12 terrorists on Sunday. One policeman was martyred as security forces successfully repelled the attack killing two terrorists.

Pakistan has witnessed a significant spike in the form of the recent wave of terrorist attacks across the country. 

According to a statistical report released by the independent think tank Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS), at least 271 militant attacks took place during the first half of 2023, resulting in the loss of 389 lives and injuring 656 individuals. Terror activities in the country soared by 79% during the period.

In light of the increase in attacks, Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti announced the November 1 deadline for the illegal "aliens", including Afghan illegal immigrants, to leave the county voluntarily.

The caretaker interior minister revealed that Afghan nationals were responsible for 14 of the 24 suicide bombings in the country this year.

Bugti said some 1.73 million Afghan nationals in Pakistan had no legal documents to stay, adding a total of 4.4 million Afghan refugees living in Pakistan.

"Safety and security of the people of Pakistan is the prime responsibility and foremost priority of the government," he said.