(KHALEEJ TIMES) Five bomb explosions on Tuesday rocked different parts of Pakistan, including two in Quetta, the capital of violence-torn Balochistan, killing one and injuring three others, police confirmed.
Officer Shah Mohammad told DPA that the sole victim was apparently the perpetrator of the second blast in the southern city of Quetta as “the explosive was fixed in his bike.”
He said the second blast occurred near a railway overhead bridge in Saryab Road, injuring three railway employees and slightly damaging a rail carriage.
Authorities said the involvement of Baloch Nationalists who have been fighting for provincial autonomy and more royalties from oil and gas in the province could not be ruled out in these blasts.
“It is early to comment on it but these (blasts) may have links with the nationalists movement,” a senior police officer, Rehmatullah Niazi, told DPA.
Balochistan, one of PakistanÂ’s poorest provinces, has seen unrest since the government initiated mega-development projects there. Baloch nationalists are accusing the government of not giving the province its due share in oil and gas revenues and funds from other projects, including the Gwadar port.
The attacks on the gas plants and other government installations have increased with e governmentÂ’s decision to set up new garrisons in the oil and gas-rich province. Last month rockets were fired on a gas purification plant in southern Sui district, killing nine people and suspending the gas supply to various parts of the country.
The three other blasts took place in the countryÂ’s southern towns of Larkana and Hyderabad. There were no casualties or property damage reported.