1 killed, 9 injured in SW Pakistan blast

KARACHI. KAZINFORM - At least one person was killed and nine injured in an explosion in a market in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan province, on Tuesday evening, an official said, Anadolu reports.

The blast--second in the last one week-- took place in a small market located on thecity’s busy Mission Road where most of the shops are owned by the members ofShia-Hazara community, Provincial home minister Mir Zia Langov told AnadoluAgency.

Hazara communityhas long been the target of the terrorists in Balochistan, mainly Quetta.

There was noimmediate claim of responsibility for the attack, however hardline Sunnimilitant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has long been targeting the Hazara communityand security forces in the region.

At least fourpeople were killed and over two dozen injured in an explosion near a policestation in Quetta last week.

The largeBalochistan province, which is also considered to cover parts of neighboringIran and Afghanistan is strategically important due to its rich copper, zincand natural gas reserves.

Over thecourse of the last decade, the province -- especially capital Quetta -- hasalso faced a deadly wave of sectarian violence in which over 2,200 people havebeen killed.

The provinceis also a key route of $64 billion megaproject, Pakistan–China EconomicCorridor (PCEC), which aims to connect China's strategically importantnorthwestern Xinxiang province to Balochistan’s Gawadar port through a networkof roads, railways and pipelines to transport cargo, oil and gas.

With its600-kilometers long coastline, Gawadar is a key deep seaport currently operatedby China, which aims to attain direct access to Indian Ocean via this seaport.

The economiccorridor will not only provide China cheaper access to Africa and the MiddleEast but will also earn Pakistan billions of dollars for providing transitfacilities to the world’s second largest economy.