QUETTA: June 25Several security-related incidents were reported from different parts of Balochistan on Thursday, including an armed blockade of the Quetta-Taftan highway in Mastung, a fatal explosion in Ormara, a roadside bomb blast in Kalat, and the torching of vehicles in Nushki, according to official and local sources.

In Mastung district, armed men reportedly set up a checkpoint on the Quetta-Taftan highway in the Sheikh Wasil area and controlled traffic for several hours.

Sources said the armed men stopped and searched vehicles passing through the area before taking into custody seven heavy vehicles, including trailers and fuel tankers. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the incident, while authorities had not issued an official statement till the filing of this report.

Meanwhile, a man was killed in an explosion involving a motorcycle in Ormara, police said.

According to Ormara SHO Bashir Ahmed, the deceased, identified as Raja, son of Charshambay, a resident of Makola in Pasni, had spent the night at a guest house belonging to local religious figure Syed Maheem Jan.

Police said the explosion occurred early in the morning when the victim attempted to start his motorcycle. Preliminary investigations suggest that explosive material had been concealed in the vehicle.

Law enforcement personnel and Pakistan Navy officials reached the site shortly after the blast and cordoned off the area. An investigation is underway to determine the nature and motive behind the incident.

In a separate development, a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) exploded near a police convoy in the Rodenjo area of Kalat district.

According to police officials, the convoy consisted of three vehicles, including one Quick Response Force (QRF) vehicle and two Anti-Terrorism Force (ATF) vehicles, travelling from Kalat to Bencha on escort duty.

The device detonated as the convoy passed through the area; however, no casualties or damage were reported. Security personnel subsequently launched a search operation in the vicinity.

Elsewhere, unidentified armed men set fire to a gas tanker and a trailer in the Mil Mengal area of Nushki district, security officials said.

Officials said the gas tanker was carrying a load of gas, prompting fears of a major explosion. Authorities temporarily suspended traffic on the national highway as a precautionary measure.

The assailants fled the area after the attack, while security forces launched a search operation to trace those involved.

The incidents, reported from Mastung, Gwadar, Kalat and Nushki districts, occurred within hours of one another. Officials have not indicated whether the attacks were linked.

Investigations into all four incidents are ongoing.