- DERA GHAZI KHAN: The bodies of nine passengers who were offloaded from a bus and killed in Balochistan’s Sardhaka area Thursday night were transported to their hometowns in Punjab and handed over to families on Friday, officials said.
At least nine passengers traveling on two Punjab-bound coaches were offloaded from the vehicles and killed by unidentified armed men in the Sur-Dakai area, situated on the border between Balochistan’s Zhob and Loralai districts.
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind confirmed the incident, saying that Fitna al-Hindustan had carried out attacks at three different places: Kakat, Mastung, and Sur-Dakai.
The Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), a banned outfit, later claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the group said it had killed the nine individuals after blocking the highway between Musakhail-Makhtar and Khajuri.
Assistant Commissioner (AC) Naveed Alam said that the bodies of all nine passengers were handed over to a political agent in the Sakhi Sarwar district of Dera Ghazi Khan to be handed over to their families.
He said that seven of the passengers had been identified, but two could not be due to a lack of documents.
“The terrorists must have taken the passengers’ identification documents with them,” AC Alam said.
Of the seven passengers identified, two were residents of Lodhran, while one passenger each was a resident of DG Khan, Gujrat, Attock, Khanewal, and Gujranwala.
Condemnation pouring in with pledge for action
The country’s top leaders strongly condemned the incident and vowed action against the perpetrators “at all costs.”
In a statement today, President Asif Ali Zardari said, “This barbarity is part of Fitna-al-Hindustan’s evil conspiracy to spill blood in Pakistan,” state-run Radio Pakistan reported.
He reaffirmed his commitment to “clear the land of Fitna al-Hindustan and its facilitators at all costs.”
Similarly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement issued by his office, “We will deal with terrorists with full force. The blood of innocent people will be avenged.”
The premier added that 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,” the prime minister said.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti also strongly condemned the incident, calling it “blatant terrorism.”
“The killing of innocent civilians based on Pakistani identity is an unforgivable crime,” Bugti said, vowing that the response would be “severe”.
“The terrorists have proven that they are not human beings, but cowardly beasts,” he said, adding that the state “would not even let these murderers hide underground”.
The chief minister added, “All networks of terrorists who are the sponsors of Fitna-al-Hindustan will be destroyed.”
Noting that this was a “state war,” he vowed decisive action.
CM Bugti further vowed to crush “every plan of terrorism” with strength, determination, and unity. “Balochistan will become a graveyard for enemies.”
In a statement on X late last night, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the incident, 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.”
According to sources, two passenger coaches en route to Punjab were intercepted in the Sur-Dakai area near the N-70 highway, close to Dab—a place along the Loralai-Zhob border. A group of armed men had blocked the road and stopped the two vehicles.
The armed assailants boarded the coaches, checked the identity cards of passengers, and forced 10 persons off the vehicles at gunpoint.
“They dragged out 10 passengers—seven from one coach and three from the other—and took them away (to an unknown place),” a surviving passenger told Levies. “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.
Security forces suspended traffic on the highway and began a large-scale search operation to locate the perpetrators.
According to sources, the attackers checked the national identity cards of all passengers and specifically targeted individuals with Punjab addresses. They also opened fire on the coaches during the abduction to prevent any escape.
CM Bugti vows those responsible would be brought to justice swiftly
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti presided over a high-level security meeting to assess the province’s overall law and order situation.
Balochistan Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari and other senior security officials were in attendance. They presented comprehensive briefings outlining the motives behind the attack, progress in the investigation, and steps taken by law enforcement in its aftermath.
The Balochistan vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice swiftly.
“We will not spare anyone involved in this heinous act,” he declared. “There will be no leniency for those who shed innocent blood.”
CM Bugti emphasized the need for seamless coordination between police and Levies forces, instructing that jurisdictional boundaries must not hinder operations. “A united and effective response is imperative to ensure such elements never re-emerge,” he said.
He also directed the strengthening of rapid response capabilities to better manage future threats.
“There will be no compromise on the rule of law. We will meet the enemies of peace with full force.”
Seek a ‘political solution’ to long-standing issues in Balochistan: HRCP
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed deep grievance over the incident, urging the state to seek a “political solution” to long-standing issues in Balochistan.
In a statement posted on X, the HRCP said, “This wanton violence against laborers and common citizens is deplorable and must cease immediately.”
In May this year, the government designated all terrorist organizations in Balochistan as Fitna-al-Hindustan.
Balochistan has witnessed a spate of attacks targeting those hailing from Punjab. In two separate incidents in April 2024, nine people were killed after being forced off a bus near Noshki, while two labourers from Punjab were shot in Kech.
In February, seven Punjab-bound passengers were offloaded from a bus and shot dead in the Barkhan district. The incident came days after 12 were killed in a blast targeting a bus carrying coal miners in Harnai.
In May last year, seven barbers from Punjab were shot dead near Gwadar, while August saw 23 travelers offloaded from trucks and buses and shot in the Musakhail district.
