QUETTA, April 26: Attacks on election candidates and their offices continued in Balochistan on Friday with a bomb-and-rocket attack on the rally of a candidate of JUI-F and grenade attacks on the election office and house of a candidate of a nationalist party.
The candidate of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) escaped the bomb-and-rocket attack in the Machh area of Bolan district. Six people were injured and two vehicles damaged.
Grenades were hurled at the election office of the National Party in Quetta and the house of its candidate in Buleda area of Kech. JUI-F’s Muhammad Hashim Shahwani is contesting for the Balochistan Assembly’s seat of PB-30 Kachhi-1.
Levies official Asadullah said Mr Shahwani and his supporters were going to Kolpur to open an election office. When their convoy reached near the Hark area of Machh a powerful explosion took place on the Quetta-Sibi road.
Soon after the blast, at least three rockets were fired from nearby mountains but failed to hit the convoy.
Sources said the attackers also fired at the convoy with automatic weapons.
“Six people, including a Levies man, were injured,” the sources said, adding that guards of Mr Shahwani took positions and returned fire and the exchange of fire continued for some time.
The Levies took the injured — Tanvir Ahmed, Hafiz Ghulamullah, Lakhmir, Muhammad Siddiq, Bakhtiar and Raza Muhammad -- to Machh hospital. Later they were referred to a Quetta hospital where two of them were said to be in critical condition.
“The explosive device planted along the road was detonated by a remote control,” Levies officials said after initial investigation.
At a press conference in Quetta, Mr Shahwani blamed the Bolan district administration for the attack and said despite his request the administration had failed to provide security.
Meanwhile, grenades were hurled at an election office of the NP in the Sariab Road area of the provincial capital. The office was damaged but no casualty was reported.
The house of a provincial assembly candidate of the party in the Buleda area of Kech came under a similar attack.
According to sources, a grenade hurled at the house of Azim Buledi landed and exploded in the backyard.
