Islamabad: At least 35 people died in Pakistan on Saturday in various incidents of terrorism and anti-terrorism actions, officials said.
In Balochistan‚ at least three security personnel were killed and six injured in an IED explosion at Sorab area in Quetta.
A spokesman of Frontier Corps (FC) FC said that the blast hit an FC convey.
In Sui area, at least six terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces on Saturday.
A spokesman for FC Balochistan said the encounter took place in the suburbs of Sui.
“Heavy amount of explosives was also recovered from the terrorists’ possession”, he added.
In the tribal Khyber Agency at least 11 people were injured when three roadside bombs targeting a polio vaccination team in exploded.
The blasts near the Afghan border were the latest attack on efforts to stamp out the crippling disease in Pakistan, which is one of only three countries where polio remains endemic.
“Eleven paramilitary troops and one child died when the bombs detonated in the Lashora area”, said an official.
Polio persists in Pakistan with militant groups seeing vaccination campaigns as a cover for espionage. There are also long-running rumours about polio drops causing infertility.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Pakistan recorded 91 cases of polio last year, up from 58 in 2012.
WHO has warned that Peshawar is the world's ‘largest reservoir’ of polio. Pakistan's struggle to defeat polio stands in stark contrast to its neighbour and great rival India, which recently celebrated three years since its last polio case. Afghanistan and Nigeria are the other countries where the disease remains.
In Lahore, on Saturday, eight members of the same family were murdered in the Johar Town area. Police said the victims' throats were slit prior to them being shot.
