President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday strongly condemned the killing of seven bus passengers in the Barkhan city of Balochistan.
In their separately issued statements, the president and the prime minister prayed for peace for the departed souls and strength for the bereaved families to bear the loss.
“The killing of innocent people is a coward and heinous act. The terrorists are the enemies of peace and humanity. They want to mar the peace in Balochistan,” the president said and assured that the perpetrators would be taken to the task.
Prime Minister Shehbaz directed the authorities concerned to bring the perpetrators to justice and said that the killers of innocent citizens would have to pay a heavy price for their act.
“The sacrifices of innocent citizens will not go in vain. The government and security forces are actively working to eliminate terrorism from the country completely,” the prime minister remarked.
Unidentified armed assailants opened fire and killed at least seven passengers in Balochistan’s Barkhan district late on Tuesday night, Barkhan Assistant Commissioner (AC) confirmed on Wednesday morning.
The attack took place on the National Highway in the Rarkan area, where unidentified armed men stopped a passenger bus and opened fire into the air, AC Khadim Hussain revealed.
The gunmen then boarded the bus, checked the passengers’ identity cards, and forcibly took seven individuals to a nearby mountain. Shortly after, gunshots were heard.
When local law enforcement agencies, including the Levies force, arrived at the scene, they discovered the bodies of the abducted passengers.
The bodies have been transported to a nearby hospital in Rakni, according to the Levies force. The deceased were residents of various cities in Punjab.
According to the bus service office, the ill-fated bus was travelling from Quetta to Faisalabad and had at least 45 passengers on board.
One passenger, Zeeshan Mustafa, a resident of Burewala travelling to Multan, reported that the assailants took his brother away after checking his identity card.
The gunmen numbered between ten and twelve, Zeeshan said, adding that all were armed with Kalashnikovs.
Authorities have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to apprehend the perpetrators. Following the incident, two-way vehicular traffic on the National Highway, which connects Punjab to Balochistan, has been suspended.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti strongly condemned the brutal killing of seven passengers in Barkhan, describing it as a “heinous and reprehensible act.”
“Terrorists are targeting innocent and unarmed civilians,” CM Bugti said in response to the attack.
“This cowardly assault by the enemies of peace is intolerable, and they will face a strong response.”
He further emphasised that those responsible for the killings would be brought to justice.
Following the attack, security forces, including the FC and Levies, swiftly arrived at the scene and initiated a search operation to track down the perpetrators.
A spokesperson for the Balochistan government stated that security forces are actively pursuing the terrorists.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, and police have launched an investigation into the incident.
