Pakistan (KAAB TV) – In a shocking act of violence, unidentified armed assailants intercepted multiple buses in Pakistan’s restive southwestern province of Balochistan on Thursday evening, kidnapping and later killing nine passengers, officials confirmed on Friday.
The incident took place near the Sur‑Dakai area on the N‑70 highway, which runs along the border of Zhob and Loralai districts. According to provincial spokesperson Shahid Rind and surviving witnesses, the attackers stopped two Punjab‑bound coaches, searched passengers’ identity cards, and specifically abducted individuals with Punjab addresses.
They dragged ten people off the buses, later found nine bodies with bullet wounds in the surrounding mountainous terrain—a grim discovery made overnight.
Authorities identified seven victims hailing from Lodhran, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujrat, Attock, Khanewal, Gujranwala, and another unidentified passenger due to missing documents. Their bodies were transported to their hometowns in Punjab for burial rites.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, labeling it an “open act of terrorism” and issuing a stern vow: “The blood of innocent people will be avenged” President Asif Ali Zardari echoed similar sentiments, declaring the incident part of a “state war” and promising decisive measures Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti pledged to dismantle the responsible terror networks.
No group has officially claimed responsibility. However, Pakistani officials blamed Baloch separatist militants, hampered by persistent regional grievances over resource distribution. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and the Balochistan Liberation Front are often implicated in such attacks targeting Punjab-origin passengers after identity-card checks.
This deadly ambush follows a history of similar ethnic-targeted violence in Balochistan. In April 2024, nine Punjabi passengers were offloaded from a bus near Noshki and executed—a crime attributed to separatist militants.
In May, a school-bus suicide bombing claimed 11 lives, and in March, a train hijacking by the BLA resulted in dozens of deaths and hostages. Recently, militants also attacked a police station in Mastung, killing a boy and injuring several civilians.
Security forces have launched widespread operations in the mountainous border zones of Zhob, Loralai, Mastung, and Kalat to locate the perpetrators. Authorities have also expanded SOPs for overnight travel on major routes like the N‑70 and ordered increased patrols and identity checks on interprovincial buses.
As investigations continue, Pakistan’s top leadership has pledged “no mercy” and swift justice for this brutal targeting of civilians.