Unknown militants shot dead five Punjab men after dragging them out of a passenger bus bound for Karachi in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province. One more injured passenger died later from his injuries, raising the number of deaths to six, said media reports on Thursday.
The incident occurred in the Kalmat region of Gwadar district. Referring to Gwadar Deputy Commissioner Hamoodur Rehman, Geo News said the attackers intercepted the bus and killed the victims. Dawn also reported that the attackers screened the ID cards of the victims before murdering them and kidnapped three others. The victims were confirmed to be people from Punjab province.
No organization has taken credit for the attack, but previous similar attacks have been committed by ethnically Baloch militant groups on Punjabi individuals. The attack comes in the wake of an increasing spate of violence in Balochistan, where separatist movements commonly attack security forces and civilians.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the attack and ordered the authorities to take stern action. President Asif Ali Zardari said, “The terrorists are enemies of the nation’s progress and prosperity of Balochistan. They cannot see Balochistan progressing.”
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti also denounced the murders on X, terming it as “a heinous and cowardly act” and promised to continue the “war against hardcore terrorists.”
The attack follows increased tensions in Balochistan. The banned Baloch Liberation Army terrorists hijacked the Jaffar Express earlier this month, murdering 26 hostages, 18 of whom were security personnel. The Pakistani army killed all 33 terrorists and freed 354 hostages on the next day.
Since the incident, several attacks have occurred in the province. Earlier this week, gunmen murdered four policemen and four laborers in two separate incidents. On March 17, a grenade explosion wounded five individuals, four of whom were children, at a Station House Officer’s house. On the previous day, suspected Baloch militants ambushed a paramilitary convoy in Noshki district, killing five, including three Frontier Corps personnel, and wounding 30 others.
Bordering Iran and Afghanistan, Balochistan has long endured insurgent brutality. Baloch militant groups repeatedly attack security personnel, government initiatives, and the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor in the resource-rich province.
