QUETTA: An improvised explosive device (IED) attack in Balochistan’s Panjgur district on Monday killed one person and injured 16 others.

Panjgur Assistant Commissioner Amir Jan said the IED was planted on a motorbike and added that three of the injured are in serious condition. “Two children are also among the injured,” he said.

According to police, a Frontier Corps vehicle, which was the probable target, escaped the attack unharmed, with all personnel safe. However, several shops and buildings were damaged in the blast.

Police identified the victim as Rasool Bakhsh. The injured include Amir Jan, Anwar, Muhammad Numma, Adam Khan, Sabir, Irshad, Sanaullah, Amir Ahmad, Zameer Ahmed, Muhammad Jan, Minhaj Zakir Shah, Tozeer Ahmed, and Bab Jan. The names of three other injured individuals could not be ascertained.

FC vehicle, believed to be the target, escapes unharmed

An investigation into the incident is underway. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

A senior local administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Dawn that the IED-laden motorbike was parked near a pushcart in the main bazaar.

Another official explained that the blast appeared to have been triggered by remote control.

Despite record militant deaths, Pakistan saw a sharp escalation in militant violence in 2025. Terrorist attacks rose by 34 per cent, and terrorism-related fatalities increased by 21pc year on year, according to data released by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies.

As many as 699 terrorist attacks were recorded countrywide during the year, resulting in at least 1,034 deaths and 1,366 injuries. This rising trend of militancy has persisted since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021.

Behram Baloch in Gwadar also contributed to this report.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2026