On the Independence Day of Pakistan, two incidents of hand grenade attacks took place at the offices of two deputy commissioners in Panjgur and Surab districts. In Panjgur, unidentified individuals on motorcycles threw a hand grenade at the deputy commissioner’s office, causing an explosion within the office courtyard. The explosion shattered the office’s windows, yet there were no reported human casualties in the attack. Security personnel stationed at the deputy commissioner’s office engaged in a firefight with the assailants before they managed to escape.
Bold Response: Despite the grenade attack, the Panjgur deputy commissioner emphasized that a national flag ceremony proceeded as planned on the office lawns. Similarly, a parallel event happened in Surab during the early hours, where grenade was hurled at the office of the deputy commissioner. The blast of the grenade reverberated through the vicinity of the Surab deputy commissioner’s office, but no injuries or significant damage were recorded as a result of the explosion.
Other grenade attacks: Recent times have witnessed a notable increase in assaults targeting police stations and Levies personnel across various regions of Balochistan using grenades and explosive devices. Just last week, a magnet bomb was employed to target the Mazai Adha area in Qila Abdullah, leading to the injury of five individuals, including a Levies officer. The bomb had been affixed to the Levies officer’s vehicle. Similarly, a few days prior, a police station in Kharan was subjected to a grenade attack, causing damage to a portion of the facility, yet no loss of life was reported.
Coordinated Response: Albeit these attacks are indicative of a concerning security situation in Balochistan province, it’s a matter of satisfaction that there were no casualties caused by these attacks. It shows that intelligence and security agencies have been operating successfully. They have not given free hand to the militants to launch successful attacks. The fact that security personnel engaged the attackers in a firefight demonstrates the preparedness of law enforcement and their commitment to protecting public institutions. Additionally, the decision to proceed with a national flag ceremony despite the attack in Panjgur could be interpreted as a symbol of resilience and a refusal to be intimidated by such incidents.
Targeting state and CPEC: The broader context of escalating attacks on police stations and Levies officers in Balochistan through grenades and bombs points to an ongoing pattern of violence. This could be indicative of larger plans by the external forces to use the local insurgents and terrorists to create unrest in Balochistan and to try to undermine CPEC projects. The assailants also wanted to make their presence felt by attacking the symbols of state and government authority on the Independence Day.
