Plot to kill Balochistan governor foiled, claims home minister

QUETTA: Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti on Wednesday said that the security forces have foiled a plot to assassinate Balochistan Governor Muhammad Khan Achakzai by arresting two terror suspects.

Addressing a press conference alongside DIG Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema, he said the security forces acting in a timely manner have arrested two suspected terrorists who were planning to attack and kill Achakzai.

Explosives-filled vests and illicit arms have been recovered from their possession, he added.

The home minister said the government was procuring bullet-proof vehicles to ensure foolproof security for politicians.

Detailing a terrorist attack on Bethel Memorial Methodist Church on Quetta’s Zarghoon Road on Sunday, he said the identities of the terrorists killed in the attack couldn’t be ascertained by Nadra, which lend credence to the fact that they were aliens.

He, however, resolved that those involved in the attack would be brought to book soon.

On Sunday, at least nine people including three women were killed while 43 others injured when two gunmen wearing explosive vests attacked the church located on Zarghoon Road.

Bugti had said two suicide attackers stormed the church when Sunday service was ongoing, one of them detonated his charge inside the church while the other was shot dead by security personnel at the entrance to the church.

He said the security forces responded timely, averting more casualties.