Balochistan health minister survives rocket attack in Panjgur

Published July 6, 2017
QUETTA: Balochistan Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch addresses a press conference.—APP/File
QUETTA: Balochistan Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch addresses a press conference.—APP/File

Unidentified assailants attacked the convoy of Balochistan Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch in Panjgur town on Thursday, officials said, with the minister and his aides remaining unharmed in the incident.

The minister's convoy was targeted while he was travelling to Prom area from Panjgur, Assistant Commissioner Panjgur Abdul Jabbar said.

Levies sources said the militants used various weapons including rockets in the attack. However, the assailants escaped the scene when Levies personnel opened retaliatory fire.

Upon receiving reports of the incident, Levies and Frontier Corps (FC) officials sealed the area and started a search operation.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.

Rehmat Saleh Baloch, who belongs to National Party, was elected a member of Balochistan Assembly in the general elections of 2013.

Balochistan has been experiencing incidents of violence and targeted killings for over a decade.

The largest province of the country by area, it is home to a low-level insurgency by ethnic Baloch separatists. Al Qaeda-linked and sectarian militants also operate in the region. The province shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran.

Earlier in May, 28 people were killed when a suicide bomber targeted the convoy of Senate Deputy Chairman Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri in Balochistan's Mastung area.

Opinion

Editorial

Last call
Updated 15 Nov, 2024

Last call

PTI should hardly be turning its "final" protest into a "do or die" occasion.
Mini budget talk
15 Nov, 2024

Mini budget talk

NO matter how much Pakistan’s finance managers try to downplay the prospect of a ‘mini budget’ to pull off a...
Diabetes challenge
15 Nov, 2024

Diabetes challenge

AMONGST the many public health challenges confronting Pakistan, diabetes arguably does not get the attention it...
China security ties
Updated 14 Nov, 2024

China security ties

If China's security concerns aren't addressed satisfactorily, it may affect bilateral ties. CT cooperation should be pursued instead of having foreign forces here.
Steep price
14 Nov, 2024

Steep price

THE Hindu Kush-Himalayan region is in big trouble. A new study unveiled at the ongoing COP29 reveals that if high...
A high-cost plan
14 Nov, 2024

A high-cost plan

THE government has approved an expensive plan for FBR in the hope of tackling its deep-seated inefficiencies. The...