In yet another terror attack in Pakistan, heavily-armed Baloch gunmen killed at least 37 people in separate attacks in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province on Monday, as insurgent attacks spiked in the region bordering Afghanistan. The attack came hours after the outlawed Baluch Liberation Army separatist group warned people to stay away from the highways, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Passengers killed after checking their identities: Pakistan Police
The Pakistani media, quoted Assistant Commissioner Musakhail Najeeb Kakar, who explained that armed men blocked the inter-provincial highway in the Rarasham district of Musakhel and offloaded passengers from buses. According to the senior police official, the dead were mostly identified as belonging to Punjab. The armed men also set fire to 10 vehicles, he said.
Pakistan PM orders investigation
President Asif Ali Zardari and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi in separate statements called the attack “barbaric” and vowed that those who were behind it would not escape justice. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed local authorities to offer full support to the grieving families and ensure medical assistance is provided to the injured. He also called on law enforcement agencies to launch an immediate investigation into the incident.
“The terrorists behind this attack will face severe consequences,” Sharif declared, emphasizing that terrorism in any form will not be tolerated in the country.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the act of terrorism in the strongest terms and extended his heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families affected by this despicable act. This statement was released from his office.
Similar incidents
The Musakhel attack comes nearly four months after a similar incident targeting people from Punjab. In April, gunmen offloaded nine passengers from a bus near Noshki and shot them after checking their ID cards.
In October of the previous year, unidentified gunmen fatally shot six laborers from Punjab in Turbat, located in Balochistan’s Kech district. Police reported that these killings were targeted, as all victims came from various areas of southern Punjab, suggesting they were selected based on their ethnic background.
A comparable event occurred in 2015, when gunmen attacked a laborers’ camp near Turbat in a pre-dawn raid, killing 20 construction workers and injuring three others. The victims were from Sindh and Punjab.
Terrorist attack in Pakistan
The separatists in Baluchistan have often killed workers and others from the country's eastern Punjab region as part of a campaign to force them to leave the province, which for years has experienced a low-level insurgency.
Most such previous killings have been blamed on the outlawed group and others demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad. Islamic militants also have a presence in the province.
(With inputs from agency)
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