Explosion in southwestern Pakistan leaves 1 dead, 5 wounded

ISLAMABAD

At least one person was killed and five others injured in an explosion in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, a police official said on Friday.

The blast occurred near Chainak Chowk in Sibi late Thursday, an official at the District Police Officer’s office in the city told Anadolu over the phone.

“It was an improvised explosive device (IED) that targeted civilians in the area,” the official said.

Police and security forces swiftly cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to secure the site and collect evidence.

No militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan has seen a surge in terror attacks in recent years, particularly in the provinces of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and southwestern Balochistan.

Mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan's largest but poorest province. Security forces have long faced a low-intensity rebellion from Baloch separatists, who claim the province has been denied major developments.

The province is also a key route for the $64 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which aims to connect China's strategically important northwestern Xinjiang province with Balochistan's Gwadar port via a network of roads, railways, and pipelines for cargo, oil, and gas transportation.