BALOCHISTAN, Pakistan (Aug 20): At least six people, including four police personnel, were injured when a grenade struck a police van in Usta Mohammad district of Balochistan on Monday, officials confirmed, according to The Balochistan Post (TBP).
Police said unidentified attackers on a motorcycle hurled the grenade near the railway gate under City Police Station limits. The blast damaged the police vehicle and left four policemen and two civilians wounded. All injured were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.
The Baloch Republican Guards (BRG), an armed insurgent group, later claimed responsibility. In its statement, BRG said the police patrol was deliberately targeted and warned of more such attacks if what it described as harassment of residents continued.
In a separate incident Monday night, gunmen opened fire on a house in the Sordo area of Panjgur, killing four people and injuring one. The victims, residents of Quetta, were alleged to have links with a state-backed armed group often referred to locally as a “death squad.” These groups have long faced accusations of enforced disappearances, targeted killings of activists, and involvement in drug smuggling and kidnapping for ransom.
No group has claimed responsibility for the Panjgur attack so far. TBP noted, however, that in past incidents of this kind, Baloch pro-independence militant outfits have often claimed involvement.
The latest violence underscores the persistent instability in Balochistan, where separatist groups continue to demand independence, citing political marginalisation, human rights abuses, and the exploitation of natural resources. While the Pakistani state maintains a heavy military presence, locals see it as occupation, deepening mistrust and fuelling the decades-long insurgency.