Quetta, Oct 6 (IANS) At least two children were killed and three others injured in an explosion in Gowargo tehsil of Balochistan’s Panjgur district, with locals alleging that explosives fitted to a quadcopter operated by Pakistani forces caused the blast, local media reported on Tuesday.
Citing sources, The Balochistan Post reported that the children were playing in Fateh Ali Bazaar area when they found a suspicious object hanging from a tree, which exploded after they tampered with it.
The deceased were identified as nine-year-old Arman and 10-year-old Amaal, while nine-year-old Shahid, seven-year-old Zahid, and 12-year-old Noorullah sustained severe injuries.
While the nature of the object was initially unclear, a source familiar with the case alleged that it had been fitted with explosives to a Pakistani military quadcopter. The source further claimed that Pakistani forces later directed local journalists to report the blast as having been caused by a hand grenade or another explosive device, The Balochistan Post reported.
The incident comes against the backdrop of rising civilian casualties in Pakistani military drone and quadcopter operations in Balochistan.
Last month, as many as four young men were killed and two others injured after the Pakistani military carried out a drone strike on a group that had gone for a picnic in the Balicha region of Tump, in Balochistan’s Kech district, local media reported.
Citing family sources, The Balochistan Post reported that six residents of Balicha had travelled to the nearby mountains for a picnic when the strike took place.
The four deceased were identified as Yasir, Zubair, Sameer, and Deedag, with three of the four being cousins from the same family.
Pakistani authorities alleged that the four were suspected militants, and weapons and ammunition were recovered from them. Families and local residents rejected the allegations, saying the victims were unarmed and had gone to the mountains for a picnic. They also called for an independent investigation into the attack.
Condemning the brutal killings in Balicha, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) said, “There is no framework of law, international humanitarian law, the laws of armed conflict, or basic human decency under which a civilian picnic becomes a legitimate military target.”
The BYC called on international human rights bodies, the United Nations, and global civil society to demand an independent investigation into these killings and to end their silence over the Pakistani airstrikes in Balochistan.
–IANS
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