The Smoke Above Quetta

Pakistan’s government condemns the attack. It always does. The dead are already being counted.

Ikhtiar Hussain was a senior ticket inspector at Quetta Railway Station. He was 47 years old when he arrived for work on the morning of November 9, 2024, at 8:25am local time. Seconds after he reached the platform, he heard the explosion and fell to the ground. Shrapnel from the blast hit his right cheek. He was taken to Civil Hospital Quetta with wound…