LAHORE: The extent to which peace has long been elusive in the vulnerable and volatile Balochistan can be gauged from the fact that since 2003, at least 140 major terrorism incidents have rocked this province, killing thousands including security personnel on guard.
Here follows the chronology of heinous incidents in the past decade, since 2003:
Year 2003:
June 8: Some 11 police trainees, hailing from the Hazara Shia sect, were shot dead in a sectarian attack at Quetta’s Sariab Road.
July 4: Nearly 50 people were killed in another attack on a Shia mosque in Quetta.
Year 2004:
March 2: Nearly 45 people were killed when a procession of the Shia Muslims was attacked at Quetta’s Liaquat Bazaar.
May 3: A car bomb in Gwadar had killed three Chinese engineers.
August 2: The then Chief Minister of Balochistan, Jam Yousaf, escaped attempt on life when his convoy was attacked.
August 31: Three persons were killed in a bomb blast in Kalat.
December 10: At least 10 people were killed in a bomb explosion at a Quetta market. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the explosion.
Year 2005:
January 8: At least 10 people were killed in Gilgit’s sectarian violence.
March 19: Over 35 people were killed when a terrorist exploded himself in a mixed crowd of Shia and Deobandi devotees at the shrine of Pir Rakhel Shah in Jhal Magsi which is a district town of the province.
October 13: A large number of people were killed in clashes between the Rangers and civilians in Gilgit, despite curfew.
Year 2006:
January 25: At least six people were killed after a bus collided with a landmine in Dera Bugti.
February 5: A bomb explosion on a Lahore-bound bus from Quetta, killed 13 persons in Bolan District.
March 10: Some 30 people were killed in Dera Bugti, after their bus hit a landmine.
June 12: At least five people were killed in a bomb attack targeting a Quetta hotel.
August 26: Nawab Akbar Bugti was killed in a battle between tribal militants and government forces in Balochistan. At least five soldiers and at least 30 rebels are believed to have died too.
August 26-31: Akbar Bugti’s killing sparked rioting, which left many people dead in just five days. Scores were injured and arrested.
September 8: At least six people were killed when a powerful bomb blast had hit the Rakhni bazaar of Barkhan District.
Year 2007:
February 17: A suicide bomber killed 15 persons—including a judge— after blowing himself up inside a Quetta court.
June 8: Three people were killed when a bomb exploded on a Karachi-bound bus in Hub.
July 19: Some 26 people died in Hub, Lasbela District, in an attack apparently targeting the Chinese workers.
July 27: Raziq Bugti, a former guerrilla commander-turned-spokesman for the Balochistan government, was shot dead in Quetta.
October 20: At least eight people were killed when a powerful bomb planted in a vehicle exploded in Dera Bugti.
December 13: Two suicide bombings near an army check post in Quetta had killed seven people, including three Pakistan Army personnel.
Year 2008:
October 19: The Republic Army claimed responsibility for a remote-controlled bomb blast in Dera Bugti, which killed three.
October 27: Two persons were killed in a bomb blast near the Quetta District Court Complex.
Year 2009:
January 26: Hussain Ali Yousafi, chairman of the Hazara Democratic Party, was allegedly shot dead by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi in Quetta.
March 2: A suicide bomber killed five people at a girls’ religious school in Pishin District.
June 11: One person was killed when a bomb hidden in a toilet exploded in a Quetta train.
August 4: Separatists shot dead four policemen and threatened to execute 21 hostages, if Pakistan did not withdraw paramilitary troops and released their detainees.
August 9: Militants killed four cops and threatened to kill more than 12 hostages, if their comrades in police custody were not released.
August 13: Rockets were fired at a police vehicle outside Quetta, killing two cops.
October 25: The Punjab-born Balochistan Education Minister and a local PPP stalwart Shafiq Ahmed Khan was shot dead in Quetta.
November 17: At least one person was killed and five others injured, including Deputy Inspector General Nizam Shahid Durrani, in a Quetta blast.
December 7: In Quetta, 10 people were injured when a bomb had exploded in a residential area for government employees.
Year 2010:
March 21: At least 3 people were killed after a bicycle bomb exploded in Quetta.
April 16: At least 10 people were killed after a suicide bomber had struck a Quetta hospital.
April 25: A bomb exploded at a confectionery shop in Quetta, injuring a dozen people.
April 27: A woman teacher was killed in Quetta.
May 1: A remote-controlled bomb attack wounded six police personnel at Quetta’s Qambrani Road.
May 25: Two people were killed in a bomb blast that had occurred near the office of the National Highway Authority in Quetta.
May 28: Four police officers were killed in Quetta, after they were attacked by militants.
June 10: In Khuzdar district, a soldier was killed as militants opened fire on paramilitary troops.
June 30: At least two policemen were killed in Mastung district, after unidentified militants opened fire at a vehicle carrying security forces. In a separate incident, one man was injured in a bomb explosion at Quetta’s Fatima Jinnah Road.
July 12: Gunmen opened fire upon the vehicle of Mulla Baksh Dasti, the leader of the National Party and the former district mayor of Turbat, killing him on the spot and injuring his driver.
July 14: Unidentified gunmen had assassinated Habib Jalib, a former senator and nationalist leader of the Balochistan National Party in Quetta.
August 14:- At least 10 people were killed in a series of militant attacks within Balochistan.
August 20: Militants torched two NATO trucks in Balochistan.
August 25: Unidentified gunmen killed a former lawmaker in Quetta.
August 31: Unidentified militants set ablaze two NATO fuel tankers in Mastung and Khuzdar.
September 1: At least 75 people were killed in a suspected suicide bombing upon a Shia rally at Quetta’s Meezan Chowk.
September 4: At least 2 people were again killed in a terror attack in Balochistan.
September 5: Unidentified militants set ablaze three NATO oil tankers in Balochistan.
September 8: At least 3 people were killed in a bomb explosion in Hub.
September 10: At least 5 people were killed, after a suicide car bomb attack had targeted the Quetta home of the then Balochistan provincial finance minister, Asim Ali Kurd.
September 23: Four NATO oil tankers carrying fuel supplies were set on fire in Balochistan.
September 25: Unidentified militants torched three more NATO containers within the Kalat district.
September 26:- A truck driver was killed as four NATO oil tankers were again torched in Kalat.
October 6: Another truck driver was killed as 20 NATO oil tankers were set ablaze in Quetta.
October 9: Some 30 more NATO oil tankers were set on fire throughout Balochistan.
October 18: Several NATO trucks were destroyed in Quetta.
October 19: Two more NATO trucks were targeted in the town of Dasht Bado.
October 24: Two more NATO containers were intercepted and torched by militants in Balochistan.
November 30: The convoy of the then Balochistan Governor, Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi, was attacked in the Mungichar area. Magsi had escaped unhurt.
December 7: At least two people were killed in Quetta, after a suicide bomber had unsuccessfully attempted to assassinate the then Blaochistan Chief Minister, Nawab Aslam Khan Raisani.
Year 2011:
April 26: In Quetta, four men riding motorcycles opened fire on a bus full of passengers, then sprinkled petrol on it and had set it on fire, roasting everyone inside.
May 18: Terrorists had attacked a vehicle bringing members of the Hazara community to Quetta, killing seven.
August 29: At least three people were killed in a rocket attack on a passenger train near Mach Town, some 60 kilometers of Quetta.
August 31: A dozen Shia Muslim worshippers were killed in Quetta following a bombing outside a mosque on the day of Eid ul-Fitr.
September 7: Twin explosions in Quetta had left at least 26 people dead.
September 20: At least 26 people were killed when armed militants had attacked a bus in Mastung. The victims were Shia pilgrims who were travelling towards Taftan.
September 23: Three people were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a van carrying passengers belonging to the Hazara Shia community.
September 28: Three people were killed when militants affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army opened fire on men who were conducting oil and gas exploration in Harnai District.
October 4: Unknown gunmen riding a motorbike had opened fire on a schoolteacher in Khuzdar, killing him on the spot.
October 9: Four people were killed and in various terror incidents in Quetta.
October 25: A Frontier Corps officer was killed after a landmine had exploded near Quetta. In a separate incident in Quetta, a doctor was shot and injured by unknown assailants.
November 5: A man who was planting explosives in the Hazara Town, in the suburbs of Quetta had fallen victim to his own plot when his explosives had blown up prematurely.
November 19: Two Frontier Corps personnel died when a landmine blast occurred near the town of Sui.
November 21: At least 14 soldiers of the Frontier Corps were killed when Balochistan Liberation Army militants attacked their convoy near Musa Khel town.
December 14: Two FC personnel were killed in Balochistan due to a landmine explosion.
December 29: Two assailants had opened fire on the vehicle of a police surgeon, Dr Syed Baqir Shah in Quetta. The late Dr. Shah was a key witness in the controversial Kharotabad incident. He had carried out the autopsies of five foreigners, including two women, who were shot dead by security personnel in Quetta’s suburb of Kharotabad in May 2011 and had disputed the account of law enforcement agencies.
December 30: A suicide bomber affiliated with the Balochistan Liberation Army killed 13 people in Quetta.
Year 2012:
January 4: A remote-controlled blast in Sui had killed an “Aman Force” guard.
January 7: Four people were killed in various sectarian target killing incidents in Gilgit.
January 12: The Baloch Liberation Front insurgents had ambushed a convoy of paramilitary troops near Turbat, killing 14 soldiers.
June 7: At least 15 people were killed when a remote-controlled bomb blast triggered outside a madrassa in Quetta.
June 18: A bus carrying Shias was bombed in Quetta, killing many.
June 21: A bomb explosion in a Quetta mosque killed two more people.
June 23: Gunmen on motorcycles had shot dead eight men at a laundry in Quetta.
June 28: Some 14 people were killed when a suicide attacker had targeted a bus of Hazara Shias in Quetta.
July 6: Some 18 Shia pilgrims travelling to Iran were killed in Turbat.
July 8: At least 14 people were killed by a landmine blast in Chaman.
July 12: Bullet-ridden bodies of miners, abducted on July 7 from the Soorang area, were found dumped on a roadside in the hills of Degari town.
July 13: Five persons were killed in a bomb explosion in Quetta.
July 21: Militants suspected to be allied with the Balochistan Liberation Army attacked a coast guard post in Gwadar, killing six security personnel.
August 6: A woman and her two children were killed in a blast near a house in Quetta.
August 7: A bomb had killed four cops in Quetta.
August 18: A suicide bomber had killed five in Quetta.
August 21: A blast had ripped through Sariab road near Moosa Colony in Quetta, killing two persons.
August 27: Gunmen shot dead eight people in attacks on two buses in Balochistan. Same day, three Shias were gunned down in Quetta.
August 30: Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Shia Muslim judge, along with his driver and police bodyguard in Quetta.
September 1: Unidentified gunmen shot dead seven Shias in Quetta.
September 26: Unknown gunners again shot dead three persons, including a senior official of the Geological Survey of Pakistan, in Quetta.
September 26: Mohsin Anwar Kazim, a member of the Shia community, was gunned down in Quetta.
October 8: At least 12 people were injured when a bomb exploded near Zarghoon Road in Quetta.
October 12: A dozen more perished in a bomb explosion near a restaurant on Nishtar Road in Sibi. Same day, three security personnel were killed in Dera Bugti, when their vehicle had hit a landmine.
October 16: Gunmen had shot dead four people from the Shia community again in Quetta.
October 17: Firing on a tanker on National Highway in Dera Murad Jamali had killed one man.
October 19: A bomb planted on a bicycle killed at least three paramilitary soldiers in Quetta. Same day, a Frontier Corps constable was killed when armed men attacked a check post in the restive Dera Bugti.
November 2: At least 18 persons were killed after unknown gunmen had opened fire on a bus in Khuzdar.
November 6: Agha Aftab Haider Jaffri, a prominent Shia leader, was shot dead in Quetta. Same day, four people, including three Hazara Shias, were also killed in separate shooting incidents in Quetta.
November 22: Along with Karachi and Rawalpindi, Quetta was also the target of terrorists on this day. A series of three bomb attacks in the three cities had collectively killed at least 37 people.
Year 2013:
January 1: At least three fishermen were shot dead by unidentified armed assailants in the Pasni town of Gwadar District.
January 5: Unidentified militants had opened fire and killed four passengers aboard a train (Jaffar Express) near Kohsar area of Bolan district.
January 8: Unidentified armed assailants fired indiscriminately at two tankers carrying LPG in Shiehkwasil area in Mastung District, killing three persons.
January 10: At least 105 persons were killed in two separate bomb blasts on Alamdar Road in Quetta. Many of the casualties were caused by the second blast as police and media were rushing to the scene. The bombed area is predominantly a Shia locality.
January 27: At least three members of a pro-government tribal militia were killed when insurgents attacked their camp in Tilli Mat area of Dera Bugti District.
January 28: Two personnel of the Pakistan Air Force were among the three persons killed in Pasni (Gwadar District).
January 30: Four persons were shot dead in Dera Bugti District.
January 31: At least six militants were killed in a targeted operation in the Mangochar area of Kalat District.
February 16: At least 92 people were killed after a suicide bomber had struck a busy Quetta market. Police said it was a sectarian attack and the Shia community was the target.
February 19: Four suspected militants were killed in a police operation. They were accused of killing Shias in the Hazara town incident.
February 23: At least six labourers working on the Makran Coastal Highway, which links the area to Karachi, were shot dead by unidentified assailants in the Shadi Kaur area of Gwadar District.
February 28: The Balochistan Levies recovered three dead bodies from Gazba Road area in Qilla Abdullah District.
Match 22: At least 10 people were killed when a bomb planted on a motorcycle-rickshaw exploded in a Dera Allahyar town market.
April 16: At least four people were killed, including the son, brother and nephew of Sanaullah Zehri, the provincial chief of the Pakistan Muslim League (N). A blast had targeted the convoy of the Zehris in Khuzdar district.
May 12: At least six people were killed when the residence of the Balochistan police chief was targeted in Quetta.
April 30: An independent candidate, Abdul Fateh Magsi, was shot dead along with his three supporters in Jhal Magsi area.
May 5: Four persons were killed when the convoy of Sardar Sarfaraz Khan Domki and Mir Dostain Khan Domki, the grandsons of late Nawab Bugti, came under a bomb attack in Tali area of Sibi District. They were contesting the May 11 polls and were out mustering support.
May 11: At least 15 persons were killed when unidentified assailants had attacked the convoy of an election candidate on the polling day in Naseerabad District.
May 12: Balochistan Inspector General of Police, Mushtaq Sukhera, narrowly escaped a suicide attack in the high security zone on Quetta’s Zarghoon Road. Some seven people had resultantly lost lives.
And then just two days ago, we of course saw the blowing up of Quaid-e-Azam’s Residency in Ziarat and the attack on the bus of women students of a medical college in Quetta. http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-2-184234-Balochistan-Gilgit-suffered-140-attacks-in-10-years
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