Balochistan attacks continue: Militants kill 8 in multiple incidents

At least eight passengers were killed in two separate attacks in southwestern Pakistan, officials confirmed on March 27.

The first incident took place in the port city of Gwadar, located in Balochistan province. Militants intercepted a Karachi-bound bus late March 26 in the Kalmat area, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

They offloaded the passengers and then shot them dead after checking their identification cards. The victims, five in total, were from northeastern Punjab, Pakistan’s largest and wealthiest province.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the act, calling it “a heinous and cowardly act” in a post on X. He condemned the targeting of innocent civilians based on their identity.

No group has officially claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), an outlawed separatist group, has been known to carry out similar attacks in the past.

This latest violence follows a series of recent attacks in Balochistan. Just last week, four laborers from Punjab were killed by unidentified gunmen in the Kalat district, and four policemen were killed in Noshki district. Armed men have also reportedly set up roadblocks in Bolan, Kolpur, and Mastung areas, where security forces were actively clearing the roads.

Both President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the killings, labeling the attackers as “enemies of peace and development.”

In a separate incident, a terrorist explosion occurred on a busy street in Quetta, the provincial capital. The blast killed three people and injured 21 others, including two children. Several of the injured are in critical condition. Police are still investigating the cause and target of the explosion.

Balochistan, rich in minerals, has long been the site of a low-intensity insurgency, with the BLA ramping up attacks in recent weeks. Earlier this month, BLA militants hijacked a passenger train in the Bolan region, killing 31 people, including five paramilitary troops. In a security operation that followed, 33 suspected militants were killed.

Separatist groups in the region have long called for the "liberation" of Balochistan, claiming the region was forcibly incorporated into Pakistan in 1947 following the end of British colonial rule.

By Tamilla Hasanova