QUETTA - At least four candidates, who were elected unopposed in the local government to be held tomorrow, have been kidnapped in Kech district.
Separately, nine people including five alleged attackers and a security man were killed and 16 others wounded in separate incidents of firing and bomb blast in the province Thursday.
Some unidentified armed men abducted four councillors in Dasht area of Kech district. Javed Iqbal, Abdul Qadir, Saleem and Maqbool, who were declared winners unopposed in local government election, belong to the National Party. A case has been registered and further investigation is underway. It is worth mentioning that another two candidates of the National Party were abducted from Kech district the other day. The Baloch armed groups have warned the people to stay away from the LG polls.According to sources, one personnel of Frontier Corps (FC) was killed and another injured when unknown armed men attacked them at Pat-Feeder area in restive Dera Bugti district. “Five attackers were killed when security force resorted to retaliatory firing,” they added. The sources said that the deceased FC man was identified as Gul Marjan. “The attackers were trying to escape when the FC men chased and killed five of them in exchange of firing,” sources in the FC confirmed the incident. Further investigations were underway.
In another incident, a man was killed and 16 others wounded in a powerful bomb blast in Chaman Town.
Police sources said the bomb was planted in a motorbike parked at Tranch Road, near a private bank. A passer-by was killed and 16 others wounded in the blast that also damaged several vehicles, motorcycles and nearby buildings.
Police and rescue teams rushed to the site and shifted the deceased and injured to a hospital from where four seriously injured were referred to Quetta. Police said that 5-kg explosives were used in the blast and further investigations were underway.
In another incident, one man was shot dead by armed men in Turbat Town of Kech district. The deceased was identified as Maqbool. However, motive behind the murder is yet to be ascertained.