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At least nine passengers travelling to Punjab via Balochistan were abducted and killed by armed men on Thursday night, officials confirmed.
The attackers stopped two passenger coaches near the N-70 highway in the Sur-Dakai area, checked passengers’ identity cards, and forced 10 people off the buses at gunpoint. Gunfire was heard soon after the abduction.
“They dragged out 10 passengers — seven from one coach and three from the other and took them away (to an unknown place), I don’t know what they did to them, but I heard gunfire as we were leaving. After abducting the nine passengers, the assailants allowed both coaches to leave the area,” according to a survivor.
Zhob Assistant Commissioner Naveed Alam said the bodies of the victims had been recovered and were being sent to their hometowns in Punjab, saying seven victims had been identified, while two remained unidentified due to missing documents.
The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), a banned militant group, later claimed responsibility for the killings. A spokesman for the group said they had killed the nine individuals after blocking the highway between Musakhail-Makhtar and Khajuri, deliberately targeting passengers from Punjab.
Among the victims was a man from Dunyapur, Lodhran, who had been travelling to attend his father’s funeral. Sabir Toor, who lost two brothers in the attack, told media:
“We were going to our father’s funeral. Now we have three funerals,” he said, urging the state to eliminate such terrorists.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said the terrorists belonged to “Fitna-al-Hindustan,” a term used for India-backed militant groups operating in the province, accusing them of being India-backed. Shahid Rind confirmed the attack and said it was part of a coordinated assault in three areas — Kakat, Mastung, and Sur-Dakai.
“Brutal action by terrorists of Fitna al-Hindustan in Sardhaka area of Balochistan. Terrorists killed nine innocent Pakistanis after taking them out of the buses. The brutal killing of innocent citizens by Fitna-al-Hindustan is barbaric.”
“The security forces responded immediately to the incident and rushed to the scene. The terrorists escaped in the dark of the night but the forces are pursuing them. The law enforcement agencies remained on high alert to safeguard the lives, property, and belongings of the public. This is an attack on the peace and unity of Pakistan. We will foil the enemy’s plot. The enemy’s evil intentions and their hostile activities will be crushed,” Shahid Rind added.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the killings, calling them part of a broader conspiracy:
“This barbarity is part of Fitna-al-Hindustan’s evil conspiracy to spill blood in Pakistan. Clear the land of Fitna-al-Hindustan and its facilitators at all costs.” (State-run Radio Pakistan)
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed outrage, vowing retaliation:
“We will deal with terrorists with full force. The blood of innocent people will be avenged. The killing of unarmed civilians was a blatant act of terrorism by Fitna-al-Hindustan. With resolve, unity, and strength, we will confront the scourge of terrorism and uproot it completely.”
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi echoed these sentiments, saying:
“We will chase and eliminate Indian-sponsored terrorists who target innocent passengers. The conspiracies of Indian-sponsored terrorists and their accomplices must be foiled with the support of the nation.”
Field Marshal Asim Munir added that:
“India was doubling down to further its nefarious agenda through its proxies of Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan.”
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti declared the incident a “state war,” promising decisive action.
He added that a search operation had been launched to find any remaining kidnapped victims and arrest the attackers. Security forces have suspended traffic in the area and temporarily closed the highway to track down the attackers.
“The killing of innocent civilians based on Pakistani identity is an unforgivable crime. The terrorists have proven that they are not human beings, but cowardly beasts. The state would not even let these murderers hide underground. All networks of terrorists who are the sponsors of Fitna-al-Hindustan will be destroyed, every plan of terrorism will be crushed, and Balochistan will become a graveyard for enemies,” Bugti said, vowing that the response would be “severe.”
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also condemned the violence, urging the government to pursue a political solution to the ongoing unrest in Balochistan.
