Judge’s killing in Mastung seen as shift towards civilian targets in Balochistan

QUETTA: The killing of District and Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar and his security guard in Mastung has been described as part of a shift towards attacks on civilian and institutional targets in Balochistan. Unidentified gunmen opened fire on the judge’s vehicle on the national highway in Mastung on Thursday, also seriously injuring Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari and another person.

District Police Officer Allah Bakhsh Baloch said the judges were travelling from Quetta to the sessions court in Mastung when their vehicle came under attack in the Wali Khan area. Balochistan Home Department aide Babar Yousafzai said the armed men targeted the vehicles at Wali Khan crossing while the judges were on their way from Quetta, and the injured were shifted to a hospital in Mastung. Police cordoned off the area after the incident, the DPO said.

The attack reflected a deliberate change in pattern after months in which law enforcement agencies had resisted anti-state groups. It alleged that the Baloch Yakjehti Committee and associated militant outfits, after failing to break security forces, had widened their focus to softer targets including unarmed civilians and judicial officers in an effort to spread fear and disrupt administration across the province.

The same attack was linked to a broader recent wave of violence against non-military civilians, including the killing of five labourers in Mashkel and bus passengers in Khadkocha. This turn towards civilian institutions intensified after an Anti-Terrorism Court in Quetta sentenced BYC chief Mahrang Lango on June 22, 2026. Sammi Deen, described as a close associate of Mahrang, issued a provocative social media statement on the day of the verdict that explicitly incited hostility against judges. Judge Kakar was killed exactly one month later.

The Balochistan government condemned the attack and ordered action against those responsible, according to an official statement. Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti described the assault as "an attack on the state"

In a separate statement, Bugti said, "The blood of the guardians of law will not go in vain."

He added that every terrorist network would be eliminated. Adviser to the chief minister Shahid Rind termed the killing of the sessions judge and his gunman regrettable and condemnable, and said targeting protectors of the law was a failed attempt to challenge the writ of the state.

The Balochistan Bar Council also denounced the attack, announcing a two-day strike and three days of mourning. Lawyers would attend court wearing black armbands and described attacks on judges and lawyers as attacks on the rule of law. The council demanded the arrest of those behind the shooting and called for effective security for judges, lawyers and court staff.

A day earlier, the Balochistan Home Department had imposed an indefinite curfew in Mastung’s Khad Kocha sub-tehsil from 9pm, citing the prevailing law and order situation.