The incident has raised concerns about the safety of such hunting expeditions, especially as members of the Qatari royal family have frequently traveled to Balochistan for hunting trips.
Two Pakistani soldiers were killed and four others wounded by a roadside bomb while guarding the Qatari royal family on a hunting trip in the southwestern Balochistan province of Pakistan.
The attack occurred near Turbat, about 110 kilometres from the Iranian border. However, the Qatari visitors, who were on a bird hunting expedition, remained unharmed.
Senior local administration official Abdul Hameed confirmed the fatalities to AFP, stating, “Two paramilitary soldiers of the Frontier Corps were killed in the explosion,” and added that four others were wounded.
A second official from a local paramilitary force confirmed, “The 10-member delegation of the Qatari hunting party led by Sheikh Talal was visiting district Kech to hunt the houbara bustard,” the official added. “The Qatari team was not hurt in the attack and safely passed the area.”
The region is known for hosting several separatist militant groups, but the identity of the assailants remains unclear, as no group has claimed responsibility.
The incident has raised concerns about the safety of such hunting expeditions, especially as members of the Qatari royal family have frequently traveled to Balochistan for hunting trips.
This is not the first such incident involving a Qatari hunting expedition in southwestern Balochistan. In 2017, a group of Pakistani villagers attacked a convoy of Qatari royal family members on a hunting trip in the region, wounding three security guards.
The villagers, armed with guns and knives, became violent after being denied donations to build a mosque. A case was filed against 25 individuals. Despite the attack, the hunting party, which included a royal family member, remained unharmed.
Additionally, in 2015, a group of Qatari hunters, including royal family members, were abducted by gunmen while on a licensed hunting trip near the Saudi border in Iraq.
The group was held for over 16 months before being freed in a complex deal that involved negotiations with militia groups in Iraq, as well as other regional actors, including Iran and Syria.
