Earthquake tremors once again jolted different regions in Balochistan, including Quetta, early this morning.
The earthquake was also detected at the Pak-Iran border areas including Chaman, Qila Abdullah, Nushki, Pashin and Dalbandin.
According to the Seismological Center, the magnitude of the earthquake was recorded at 5.6, and the epicentre was 166 kilometres southwest of Quetta.
The depth of the earthquake was recorded at 30 kilometres.
No loss of life or property was reported.
An earthquake originated on 20-03-2024 at 02:27 PST Mag: 5.6 Depth: 30 Km Lat: 29.69 N Long: 65.32 E Epicenter. Pak-Afghan Border Region (166 Km Southwest of Quetta).#earthquake
— Pak Met Department محکمہ موسمیات (@pmdgov) March 19, 2024
In a tragic turn of events, Rehan Zeb Khan, a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and independent candidate from NA-8 Bajaur, was fatally shot by unidentified assailants in the Siddiqabad Phatak Bazar area on Wednesday.
The district police officer and SHO Rashid Khan have confirmed the news of the PTI leader’s murder.
Khan, who was contesting as an independent, was also a candidate for the provincial assembly seat PK-22. Reports suggest that he had tried to get a PTI ticket but had been refused by the party.
Rehan zaib, a fabulous young & passionate upcoming PTI leader was martyred today by so called unknowns. He was threathned so many times but he never backed down.
The official candidate for PTI from NA 8 is Gul Zafar Khan, as per a reply from Imran Khan’s Facebook page message, “Halqa: NA-8, Bajaur, Candidate: Gul Zafar Khan, Symbol: SHOWER شاور”
The incident occurred when Khan was at Siddiqabad Gate, engaging in canvassing activities for the upcoming general elections. The assailants targeted him while he was in his vehicle, marking a disturbing incident of violence against a political figure.
This unfortunate incident comes on the heels of another attack on PTI’s electioneering within the past 24 hours. A day earlier, a bomb detonated at a PTI rally in Sibi, claiming the lives of at least four people and injuring five others, as reported by both police and witnesses.
Saddam Tareen, the PTI candidate for the National Assembly constituency of NA-253, who was leading the rally on Jinnah Road in Sibi, fortunately escaped unharmed. The injured individuals were promptly transported to the Sibi district headquarters (DHQ) hospital for urgent medical attention.
Unidentified Persons shot dead Awami National Party (ANP) local leader Zahoor Ahmed and injured another in a firing raid attacking the ANP office, in Chaman district, Balochistan as per officials.
ALERT: Unidentified Persons shot dead Awami National Party (ANP) local leader Zahoor Ahmed and injured another in a firing raid attacking the the ANP office, Chaman district, Balochistan: Officials pic.twitter.com/46VOK044Kf
At least three were injured in a grenade attack on the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) election office in Quetta, ARY News reported.
According to police officials, the attack occurred on Saryab Road Quetta where a hand grenade attack was launched on the PPP election office that injured three people.
At least 3 injured in a grenade attack on Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) election office in Quetta. According to media reports, the attack occurred on Saryab Road Quetta where hand grenade attack was launched on PPP election office that injured 3 people.https://t.co/RpD3Ssy1CE
Reacting to the incident, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) took notice of the attack and sought a report from the chief secretary and IG Balochistan.
The ECP spokesperson said that suspects involved in such incidents will be tried under the election laws.
The incidents underscore the growing concerns over the safety of political candidates and campaigners as the general elections approach.
Pakistan Customs has impounded 67 non-custom paid vehicles in a crackdown against the smugglers in Quetta.
67 non-custom paid vehicles, sugar, and fertiliser valued at approximately Rs336 million were confiscated in accordance with the Prime Minister’s goal to eradicate smuggling.
The Customs team launched a crackdown in Nokandi, Quetta, and thwarted the attempt to smuggle goods across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
Earlier, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said on February 21 that non-custom paid vehicles worth Rs11.2 billion were seized between July 2021 and January 2022.
During the July–January 2020–2021 period, smuggled goods worth a total of Rs35 billion were discovered, compared to Rs22 billion during the same time the previous year.
Many people in Quetta continue to purchase non-custom vehicles despite the fact that they are illegal since they are much more expensive than legal or custom-paid vehicles.
For instance, if a car is sold for Rs5 million at a dealership or local car market, it may be offered by smugglers for Rs2.5 million or even less. As these are smuggled vehicles, non-custom-paid automobiles are less expensive and lack the necessary paperwork or legal documents.
Sindh police has launched an operation against motorists using bogus green and blue government license plates. The police will monitor different roads in Karachi and punish anyone found running a vehicle with a fake or unauthorised registration plate.
Following the Inspector-General’s (IG) directives, Sindh Ghulam Nabi Memon Sindh Police have started a campaign against those who have phoney green and blue number plates on their cars.
The IG gave the go-ahead to commence a crackdown on bogus green and blue license plates on July 25, but monsoon rains caused the operation to be postponed.
According to the IG, it is illegal and punishable by law to use a blue or green number plate on a private car. He stated that all district police officers have been told to conduct strict operations against fake license plates.
Following the IG’s directives, the Traffic Police started conducting spot checks on Muhammad Ali Jinnah Road in Karachi.
A recent report from ARY News claims that a speeding vehicle that was using a phoney green license plate attempted to run over a traffic police officer when it was pulled over for inspection.
During a raid on the outskirts of Karachi on Thursday, Pakistan Customs personnel recovered a massive quantity of imported liquor worth millions of rupees.
According to a Customs spokesman, monitoring was increased at the Moachko checkpoint after the Customs Enforcement Collectorate got information that alcohol was being smuggled to Karachi from Quetta under the cover of official vehicles.
When a car with a government license plate and an armed guard was sighted at the checkpoint, customs anti-smuggling personnel signaled the driver to pull up, but the driver instead sped away.
When the officials gave chase, the driver of the car purposefully began hitting customs vehicles, and the guard resorted to firing. Because the road was packed and there was a threat to public safety, customs officers refrained from firing fire.
According to a spokesman, when they were around Shershah Chowk, the driver and guard hopped out of the vehicle and fled, taking advantage of a traffic jam on the other side of the road. During a check of the vehicle, 348 liquor bottles worth Rs6,480,000 were seized, along with other items discovered.
The Afghan Taliban have claimed that they have captured the important Spin Boldak border crossing with Pakistan, reports Geo News.
“The (Taliban) Mujahideen have captured an important border town called Wesh in Kandahar,” a statement was given by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid.
“With this, the important road between (Spin) Boldak, Chaman, and Kandahar customs have come under Mujahideen control.”
“The Taliban have taken control of the Afghan side of the Chaman-Spin Boldak border crossing,” a Pakistani security source told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“They have raised their flag and removed the Afghan flag.”
“The Pak-Afghan border at Chaman is on high alert,” said Levies officials. “Additional security has been deployed at the gate.” Pakistan has also suspended activities at the Chaman crossing point.
“We are in contact with the local leadership of the Taliban on resuming trade and movement of people,” said Levies officials.
Earlier this week, after seizing about one-third of Afghanistan’s districts, the Taliban swept through the northeastern Badakhshan province, reaching the mountainous border with China’s Xinjiang region.
