 "7 killed in Pakistan's Balochistan after gunmen intercept a bus in Barkhan district")
At least seven bus passengers were shot dead by gunmen in Balochistan’s Barkhan, Geo News reported, citing Barkhan police Assistant Commissioner.
Waqar Alam, a district administrator, said that the attack occurred in Rakhni, a town in Balochistan, as the buses were heading to the eastern Punjab province from the city of Quetta.
Unidentified armed assailants stopped a bus and shot dead seven passengers.
The gunmen boarded the bus, checked passengers’ ID cards, took seven people to a nearby mountain, and shot them dead, Geo News reported.
When local law enforcement agencies, including the Levies force, arrived at the scene to investigate the matter, they took charge of the victims’ bodies.
The Levies force said that the bodies have been shifted to a nearby Rakhni hospital. According to Geo News, the deceased belonged to different cities in the Pakistani province of Punjab.
The bus, carrying 45 passengers, was on its way from Quetta to Faisalabad.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion is likely to fall on ethnic Baloch separatists. The Pakistani government have many times blamed them for previous such attacks on passenger buses in Balochistan.
Balochistan CM condemns attack
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the attack on seven passengers in Barkhan, terming it a “heinous and reprehensible act.”
CM Bugti said that terrorists are targeting innocent and unarmed civilians.
Balochistan is Pak’s problem province
Balochistan has always been a problematic province for Pakistan. The province has long grappled with a persistent insurgency led by separatist groups seeking greater autonomy or independence.
It is Pakistan’s largest province by area but comprises only 2 per cent of the nation’s population. The region is rich in minerals and resources, including natural gas.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) is a prominent group in the conflict, leading the struggle against the Pakistani army.
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