QUETTA: At least 11 people, including nine passengers, were shot dead in Balochistan’s Noshki after unknown attackers opened fire on a bus and abducted travellers.
More than a dozen attackers opened fire on a bus after it failed to stop at a roadblock on the Quetta-Taftan N-40 Highway, said Deputy Commissioner Noshki Habibullah Musakhail.
Several gunmen then boarded the Iran-bound bus in Noshki district, taking nine men with them after determining they were from the province of Punjab, elaborated police officer Abdullah Mengal.
“All of them were travelling to Taftan,” he said adding that the victims were shot at close range.
Their bullet-ridden bodies were found from beneath a bridge after one and a half hours, added Musakhail.
The deputy commissioner further said that the FC and local law enforcement agencies initiated a search operation following the incident.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti condemned the incident and said that the culprits behind this inhumane act will be held accountable.
He added that those involved in such cowardly attacks will be chased and punished.
“The enemies of peace are enemies of the country, the purpose of terrorist incidents is to sabotage the peace of Balochistan, but the state will play its role,” said Bugti.
The minister extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and vowed to hold the culprits accountable.
The province has been plagued by terrorism and separatist violence for years, with a surge in terrorists attacks witnessed in the run-up to the February 8 general elections.
In late January, security forces killed at least 24 terrorists during gunfights and intelligence based operations in Mach and Kolpur. However, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) stated that four law enforcement agencies’ personnel as well as two civilians embraced martyrdom.
At least 26 people were killed in two simultaneous bomb explosions targeting election offices in the Pishin and Killa Saifullah districts of Balochistan in early February. A bomb claimed the lives of 12 people and over a dozen were injured in a blast targeting the election campaign office of Maulana Abdul Wasey.
In another bomb blast outside the election office of Asfandyar Khan Kakar, an independent candidate for PB-47, Pishin, at least 14 people were killed and over two dozen more injured.
In March, two soldiers embraced martyrdom as Pakistan Army successfully eliminated eight terrorists during its swift response to an attempted attack on the Gwadar Port Authority Colony.
According to an ISPR statement, a band of eight terrorists made an attempt to infiltrate Port Authority Colony in Gwadar. A swift action by security forces thwarted their efforts, the statement added.
The ISPR said that a group of eight terrorists attempted to enter the Port Authority Colony but were successfully thwarted by security forces personnel. “Own troops employed for security responded immediately and effectively engaged the terrorists, and in ensuing fire exchange, all eight terrorists were sent to hell,” it read.
“A large quantity of arms, ammunition and explosives was also recovered,” the ISPR added.
