A bomb attack on a Frontier Corps (FC) bus in Balochistan’s Turbat has resulted in the death of five people, including the bus conductor, and injuries to 56 others, police said.

Five of the injured individuals “are in critical condition,” 31 were under treatment, and 20 were discharged after receiving medical aid they said. Police and security forces contingent has cordoned off the area.

It was a remote-controlled bomb explosion in the New Bahman area, sources with police said. The vehicle of the SSP Kech was passing nearby when it was caught in the blast.

Among the injured were SSP Serious Crime Wing Zohaib Mohsin and six members of his family, who were passing by at the time of the explosion.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti condemned the attack and expressed sorrow and regret over the loss of human lives in the incident.

The banned terrorist organisation BLA claimed responsibility for the attack, according to security sources.

The deceased were identified as Noor Khan, a Kech resident, Abdul Wahab, a Gwadar resident, Ejaz, a Awaran resident, Liaqat Ali, a Sohbatpur resident. The identity of another deceased was yet to be ascertained.

While the banned terrorist outfit claims to be a champion of the rights of the Baloch people, sources said that it proves to be an “enemy” of such individuals.

The attack served as “clear evidence” of the terrorist organisation’s “hypocrisy”, sources said and added that the banned group’s hatred against the Baloch community was “apparent” as it has killed over 100 Baloch citizens in just one year.

Pakistan has been battling a resurgence of militant violence in its western border regions since the Taliban’s 2021 return to power in Afghanistan.

The South Asian country has seen a surge in terrorist activities, particularly in the regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The year 2024 has emerged as one of the deadliest periods for Pakistan’s civil and military security forces, with at least 685 personnel losing their lives in a total of 444 terrorist incidents.

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The overall death toll, which includes both civilians and security forces, reached 1,612, representing over 63% of the total fatalities recorded last year. This marks a staggering 73% increase in losses compared to the 934 militants eliminated. The fatalities documented in 2024 are the highest in nine years, surpassing the figures from 2023 by over 66%. On average, nearly seven lives were claimed each day.

“The agenda of Pakistan’s progress and prosperity that we discussed yesterday can only be [realised] when all of us not only improve law and order across Pakistan but also the time has come to completely wipe out the TTP,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said while addressing the National Action Plan apex committee in Islamabad on January 03.