2 FC personnel martyred, 4 injured by roadside bomb in Turbat: officials

Two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were martyred and four injured by a roadside bomb on Wednesday in Balochistan’s Turbat district, officials said.

The incident occurred in the Dasht Tehsil of Kharan, situated between Turbat and Gwadar, when a group of Arab sheikhs were returning to their camp after hunting, Dasht Assistant Commissioner (AC) Hameed Korai told Dawn.com.

The Arabs remained safe, AC Korai confirmed, adding that “two FC personnel were martyred while four were injured and were immediately shifted to Turbat.”

The same was confirmed by senior local administration official Abdul Hameed to AFP.

A second local administration official also confirmed to AFP the details of the attack on condition of anonymity and said the Arabs belonged to the Qatari royal family, adding that they had provided “extra security” after the blast.

Neither official said which members of the Qatari royal family — which numbers in the thousands — were in the hunting party.

It was also unclear whether the Qataris were specifically targeted.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Hunting enthusiasts among the Gulf elite travel to Balochistan every winter to catch the rare and reclusive houbara bustard using falcons.

Animal rights groups have long criticised Pakistan for allowing wealthy Arabs to hunt houbara birds that migrate by the thousands from Central Asia every winter.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the houbara as a vulnerable species.

In the Arab world, the bird’s meat is said to be an aphrodisiac and Pakistan’s willingness to issue hunting licences is often referred to as a form of “soft diplomacy” targeting wealthy Gulf nations.