QUETTA: Unknown ar­m­ed men blew up two 220kV high-voltage transmission pylons and partia­lly damaged two others near the Uch Power Plant in Dera Murad Jamali on Mo­nday, disrupting electricity supply to Quetta, Sibi, and several other par­ts of Balochistan, police said.

According to police officials, the attack took place within the jurisdiction of the Notal Police Station, where militants planted explosive devices on six transmission towers carrying electricity from the Uch Power Plant to Quetta, Sibi, and other districts of the province.

The attackers managed to destroy two pylons and partially damage two others. However, the Bomb Disposal Squad successfully defused explosive devices planted on the remaining two pylons, preventing further destruction, police said.

A spokesman for the Quetta Electric Supply Company (Qesco) confirmed that two pylons had been destroyed while two others were partially damaged. Following the attack, power supply through the 220kV transmission line from the Uch Power Plant was suspended, affecting Quetta, Sibi, and several other areas.

Qesco engineers and technical staff reached the site to assess the damage and begin restoration work. “Repair work will start as soon as the area is declared secure by the security agencies,” Qesco officials said.

Police and Frontier Cor­ps personnel cordoned off the area shortly after recei­ving reports of the sabotage and launched a search operation to trace those responsible for the attack. Authorities said restoration work on the damaged transmission line would begin immediately after security clearance to restore electricity supply as quickly as possible.

The disruption has cau­s­ed power outages in Que­t­ta and several other cities of Balochistan. Qesco officials said the company was supplying electricity to affected areas through alternate arrangements where possible, but acknowledged a significant gap between electricity demand and available supply, resulting in prolonged load-shedding.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2026