Three Coast Guards martyred, two Hazara men killed in separate attacks

• Three Coast Guards personnel martyred in Jiwani patrol boat attack, two Hazara Community members gunned down in Quetta

• BLA claims responsibility for assault on patrol boat in Jiwani as Police term Quetta incident a ‘targeted killing’

• Balochistan CM Bugti vows action, says killings ‘cannot be tolerated

QUETTA: Three personnel of Pakistan Coast Guards were martyred in a terrorist attack in the coastal town of Jiwani, some 84 kilometres from Gwadar port, while two members of the Hazara community were shot dead in Quetta’s Hazar Ganji area in separate incidents on Sunday, police officials said.

A senior police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Arab News that three Coast Guards personnel were killed when their patrol boat came under attack in Jiwani, a coastal town near Gwadar.

The official said the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), designated as Fitna al-Hindustan, claimed responsibility for the attack. He added that security in the area had been placed on high alert and investigations were underway, without providing further operational details.

A senior Balochistan administration official also confirmed the incident but did not share further details.

 Balochistan has witnessed a rise in militant violence in recent years, with security forces, government officials, installations, and civilians frequently targeted in attacks.

Two Hazara community members shot dead

In a separate incident, two men belonging to the Hazara community were shot dead in the Hazar Ganji area of Quetta, while three others were injured, police said.

An official stated that unidentified men riding a motorcycle targeted vegetable vendors belonging to the Hazara community early Sunday morning.

“Normally, we provide escort to Hazara vegetable vendors, but these individuals travelled without informing the police,” the official said, adding that the area had been cordoned off and investigations were underway into what he described as a possible sectarian killing.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack; however, sectarian militant outfits, including Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Daesh-Khorasan, have previously targeted the minority Hazara community.

Senior police officer Muhammad Khair Sumalani said the victims were returning from Hazarganji vegetable market to Hazara Town when armed men opened fire on their vehicle.

He said the incident appeared to be a targeted killing, adding that police and Frontier Corps personnel reached the site immediately after the attack.

Members of the Hazara community later blocked the Western Bypass intersection in Quetta to protest the killings.

Separately, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti took notice of the incident, terming it a “cowardly and reprehensible act.”

کوئٹہ ہزار گنجی فائرنگ کے افسوسناک واقعے کا سختی سے نوٹس لیتے ہوئے محکمہ داخلہ اور آئی جی پولیس سے فوری رپورٹ طلب کرلی ہے یہ بزدلانہ اور قابلِ مذمت کارروائی کسی صورت برداشت نہیں کی جا سکتی متاثرہ خاندانوں کے غم میں برابر کا شریک ہوں اور زخمیوں کو بہترین و فوری طبی امداد کی فراہمی…

— Sarfraz Bugti (@PakSarfrazbugti) April 12, 2026

“It cannot be tolerated under any circumstances,” he said, expressing grief over the loss of lives and vowing action against those responsible.

He directed the inspector general of Balochistan police to submit a detailed report on the incident.

Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove, in a statement, said that security forces and the public were jointly fighting terrorism in the province.

“The killers of innocent citizens will not be spared at any cost,” he added.