AGENCIES / WE DESK
Three heavily-armed terrorists stormed into a five-star hotel at the port city of Gwadar in the restive Balochistan province leading to a gunfight with security personnel.
The army’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations said, a guard who challenged the terrorist at the entrance was killed in shootout.
“Security forces have cordoned off the area and encircled the terrorists on the stairs leading to the top floor,” the ISPR further said, adding that “guests have been safely evacuated” from the hotel.
Balochistan Information Minister said, all foreign and local guests staying at the hotel have been safely evacuated.
Frontier Corps personnel have cordoned off the hotel. No group has taken responsibility of the attack so far.
The incident comes weeks after gunmen killed 14 people, including Pakistan Navy personnel after forcing them to disembark from buses on a highway in Balochistan.
The province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan’s largest and poorest region, rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies.
The police official further said “the firing is ongoing but there are no reports of any casualties yet”. However, provincial Home Minister Mir Zia Langove said that “some people present inside the hotel have been injured from the terrorists’ firing.”
He refused to say how many hotel staffers were present in the hotel at the time of the attack but confirmed that “most of the people have been safely evacuated.”
Frontier Corps personnel had cordoned off the hotel and no one was allowed to go near the area, DawnNewsTV reported citing police sources.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani condemned “the terrorists attack” on PC Hotel, and instructed the authorities to “ensure the safety of all inside the hotel”.
The chief minister called for a “well planned and strong action against the terrorists”, adding that he “is in touch with police and local administration” regarding the situation.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the organisation’s spokesperson Junaid Baloch.
The Chinese Embassy in Pakistan “strongly condemned the terrorist attack” and appreciated “the heroic action of Pakistan Army and law enforcement agencies”.