Babar Azam and Shahid Afridi brought to safety after explosion near Quetta stadium

A Pakistani Super League (PSL) exhibition match at the Nawab Akbar Bugti Stadium has been halted for some time following an explosion at the police line area which injured five.

A senior police officer said rescue work had been completed at the site and the injured had been taken to hospital.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on Sunday. He said security officials were targeted by the blast.

The exhibition match between PSL teams Quetta Gladiators and Peshawar Zalmi was organized by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after pressure from Baloch fans for Quetta to also be granted PSL venue status.

“As soon as the explosion happened, as a precautionary measure, the match was stopped and the players were taken to the dressing room for a while. Later, after the green signal, the match resumed,” the official said. the police.

The ground was compacted for the match.

Sports activity in Quetta, the capital of restive Balochistan province, has been at a standstill for several years due to the fragile security situation and the constant threat of terrorist attacks.

It is not known what the nature of the explosion was.

The TTP has multiplied terrorist attacks in recent days. Last week, 80 people were killed and dozens injured in a suicide bombing inside police lines in Peshawar.