An emergency was imposed in the hospitals of Quetta amid the report of rocket attacks in Balochistan’s Mach area on Monday night, according to officials.
Caretaker Balochistan Information Minister Jan Achakzai said a report was received about a “few rockets” fired from the hilly areas of Mach. In a post on social media platform X, the minister said there were no reports of any losses and the law enforcement agencies were alert.
Meanwhile, Balochistan Health Secretary Abdullah Khan Noorzai imposed an emergency in all hospitals of Mach and Quetta, according to a statement posted on Facebook.
“Instructions have been issued for all doctors and staff to be present on duty immediately. Instructions have been issued to strengthen the security of hospitals to deal with any unpleasant situation. Instructions have been issued to gather medicines, medical equipment, lab supplies, and abundant stock of blood,” the statement said.
The secretary said that all nearby ambulances in Quetta were dispatched for Mach.
The incident comes with the February 8 general elections just 10 days away.
Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities in the past year, especially in KP and Balochistan after the banned militant Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022.
According to an annual security report issued by the Centre for Research and Security Studies, Pakistan witnessed 1,524 violence-related fatalities and 1,463 injuries from 789 terror attacks and counter-terror operations in 2023 — marking a record six-year high.
KP and Balochistan were the primary centres of violence, accounting for over 90 per cent of all fatalities and 84pc of attacks, including incidents of terrorism and security forces operations.
On January 18, Pakistan had launched retaliatory strikes against targets within Iranian territory, aiming at facilities linked to purported Pakistani Baloch separatist groups.
According to a statement issued by the military’s media affairs wing, “hideouts used by terrorist organisations namely Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF)” were struck in an intelligence-based operation codenamed ‘Marg Bar Sarmachar’.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
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