KARACHI: A Rangers man was martyred while 14 others including four Rangers personnel were injured when a bomb planted in a motorcycle in Orangi Town went off on Monday evening. Responsibility for the blast was claimed by the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), officials said.

According to West SSP Suhai Aziz, a bomb planted in a motorcycle went off when the Rangers personnel travelling in a vehicle passed through the area. As a result, the Rangers personnel and some passersby were injured. The wounded persons were shifted to the nearby Sindh Government Qatar Hospital and Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where one of the Rangers men was pronounced dead.

The SSP West said that apparently, the paramilitary force personnel were the target.

Another officer, Pirabad SHO Allah Ditta said one Rangers man identified as Roshan Khan Solangi, 45, was martyred while 14 others including four Rangers personnel were injured.

The police officer said that the bomb was fitted in a parked motorcycle in Orangi Town No 5.

When the Rangers personnel in a mobile were passing through the area near Pak Book Store, the bomb was detonated with the help of a remote-control device. The SHO said among the passersby injured were a section officer of traffic police and a constable of Anti-Vehicle Lifting Cell (AVLC.) The investigators were trying to obtain CCTV footage from the area.

The police said the blast occurred at about 6pm near mobile market. The Rangers man died during treatment at the Qatar Hospital. Two wounded Rangers personnel were identified as Mohammed Hanif, 25, and Ejaz Ali, 25.

Some other wounded passersby were identified as AVLC head constable Yousuf, Mohammad Irfan, 28, Nasir Barkat, 38, Mehboob Rehmat Ullah, 18, Yasir Qasim, 34, Waqas Ayub, 25, Ali Rafay, 24, and Akbar Khalil, 55.

BLA claims responsibility

Police’s Counter-Terrorism Department has launched probe into the incident. CTD DIG Omar Shahid Hamid said that the BLA has claimed responsibility for the IED (improvised explosive device) blast attack on the paramilitary force personnel through their social media account. The counter-terrorism force chief said their team was in the area and trying to obtain evidence.

Meanwhile, Sindh Inspector General of Police Mushtaq Ahmed Mahar took notice of the terror attack and sought a detailed report from the West SSP, said police spokesperson.

Published in Dawn, March 16th, 2021