1 killed, 10 wounded in grenade attack on pro-army rally in Pakistan

A suspected militant on a motorcycle threw a hand grenade at participants of a pro-army rally in southwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing at least one person and wounding 10 others, police and hospital officials said.

The attack occurred in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, said local police chief Mohammad Malghani.

He said about 150 people in cars and on motorcycles were heading to a hockey ground in the city for a government-organized event to celebrate the military’s recent retaliatory strikes inside India when the man threw a grenade at them.

Wasim Baig, a spokesman at the Civil Hospital, said at least two of those wounded were in critical condition.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the Baloch Liberation Army, a separatist group that has waged a years-long insurgency in the province.

Pro-army rallies have been held across Pakistan since Sunday, when the United States brokered a cease-fire between Pakistan and India, which were engaged in one of their most serious confrontations in decades.