QUETTA - Several mortar shells allegedly fired by Iranian security forces landed in Mashkel tehsil of Washuk district sharing border with Iran on Sunday night.
Sources said Iranian security forces fired several mortar shells which landed in different parts of Mashkel town that spread panic and fear among the residents.
“We have heard three powerful blasts that frightened entire locality,” Muhammad Khan a resident of Mashkel town told The Nation via phone. He said one shell landed near Mashkel bazaar damaging electricity wires. However, there was no loss of life in the mortar attack.
“Four mortar shells fired by Iranian security forces landed at desolated places with big bangs,” Deputy Commissioner District Washuk confirmed while talking to media and added that they would take up the issue with Iranian authorities.
It may be mentioned here that a few days ago Iranian helicopters had violated Pakistani airspace in the same Washuk district and remained inside Pakistan for several minutes.
Previously several Pakistani citizens living near Iran border were killed and injured by shelling and firing of Iranian security forces.
“We demand government to take up this issue seriously with Iranian authority and ensure security of our people as we have no other option but to migrate to another area leaving our ancestral places if border violations are not stopped,” said Muhammad Khan, adding that now they were in constant threat from Iranian side though a large number of their relatives were living on the other part of the border.
Meanwhile, a naib tehsildar was shot dead in Kharan town while six customs officials, including an inspector were abducted from Jiwani, a coastal town of Balochistan, on Sunday.
According to a Levies official, naib tehsildar Kharan, Liaquat Jan, was on his way to Kharan city when men equipped with arms intercepted his vehicle and opened indiscriminate fire. He received multiple wounds and died immediately. The assailants easily fled from the scene after committing the crime.
Levies and police personnel rushed to the scene after the incident and shifted the dead to local hospital for medico-legal formalities. However, motives behind the murder are yet to be ascertained.
In another incident, six officials of customs department, including an inspector were kidnapped in Jiwani, a coastal town in Gwadar district.
Levies officials said the personnel of customs department were on routine patrolling at Zero Point area when armed men stopped them before taking them hostage at gunpoint. “The armed men abducted six customs officials and also took away two official vehicles and weapons with them,” a Levies official said.
The five abducted customs officials were identified as Inspector Manzoor Ahmed, Yahooq, Hassan, Abdul Samad and Saleem.
Local administration has started a search in the area and beefed up security to track down the kidnappers. No group has claimed responsibility for abduction of custom officials.
SIX INJURED IN CYLINDER BLAST
A cylinder blast wounded six people including four children at a house located at Eastern Bypass of Quetta city on Sunday.
Police source said gas leakage from a gas cylinder at a housed owned by Muhammad Azim suddenly caught fire from a heater and there was an explosion.
As a result of that, Muhammad Azim’s wife, Nasima, Rahela and 7-year-old Inam Ullah , 8-year-old Iqbal , 3-year-old Zaib and 5-year-old Saeeda received injuries. The injured were moved to civil hospital for first medical aid and later shifted to Bolan Medical Complex for further treatment.