At least 10 were killed and 40 injured in a suicide blast in Quetta today. The explosion took place at 4:20 pm local time near the Quetta district courts which have strict security measures implemented. The attacker targeted a security vehicle close to Liaquat Park. Heavy firing was also heard in the area following explosion. Three policemen were reportedly injured in the attack.

The blast, which could be heard from quite a distance, killed as many as eight people including a Frontier Corps (FC) personnel while injuring several people. 

Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Durrani told media that a biker collided with the FC car that caused a massive explosion.

Rescue teams and law enforcement agencies reached the scene and cordoned off the area.

Several cars including FC truck and motorcycles were completely destroyed in the attack. Glass and windows of the nearby building were broken. Catastrophic scenes were seen at the hospital as injured were taken there. Several of the injured are in critical condition.

Anwar ul Haq, a spokesman for the Balochistan government, confirmed the death of FC men in the terror attack. “It is not an attack on FC, it is an assault on the state of Pakistan,” Haq said, “Our government strongly condemns the heinous act of terrorism.”

Haq said that the facilitators of the terrorists will be targeted with full strength.

Durrani said that the nature of the blast was being determined. "Terrorists cannot deter our resolve to root out terrorism. We will continue our action against militants under National Action Plan (NAP)," he said.

Younis Baloch, deputy mayor of Qeutta, said he was personally going to the location of the blast.

“We strongly condemn the terrorist attack,” he said, adding that it was premature to tell who was behind the attack.

Baloch said that he would be in a position to confirm after speaking to security officials. Initial investigations suggest that 10 to 15 kilograms of explosives were used in the bomb.

Emergency has been declared in all nearby hospitals.

A splinter group of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistan Taliban) claimed responsibility for the attack in an e-mail sent to local media. The name of the group is not mentioned by the local media.

The attack took place at a time when senior officials from Afghanistan, Pakistan, China and the U.S. met in Islamabad on Saturday for the third round of talks aimed at bringing the Tablian to negotiation tables with the Afghan government.

A number of attacks also occurred during the first and second round of the quadrilateral talks on Afghan peace process, which were held in Pakistan and Afghanistan in January.

In a separate even militants opened fire at a police mobile on Saryab Road, killing 1 official and injuring 3 others.

Strongly condemning both the incidents, President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Governor and Chief Minister of Balochistan have said that the terrorists will be pursued till their elimination.

The Prime Minister directed the concerned authorities to provide best treatment facilities to the injured. He said those involved in terrorism will be brought to justice.