Gunmen shoot at trucks, bus passengers after 'checking their identities' in Pakistan's Balochistan; 23 killed: Report

At least 23 individuals were killed in the south-west Musakhel district of Pakistan’s Balochistan on Monday after gunmen offloaded passengers from buses and trucks and shot at them after checking their identities, Dawn newspaper reported. 

The deceased are residents of Punjab province, Assistant Commissioner Musakhail Najeeb Kakar told Dawn.

The Assistant Commissioner further mentioned that the armed men had blocked the inter-provincial highway in the Rarasham district of Musakhel and offloaded the passengers from buses. They also set fire to ten vehicles and added the AC.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the local administration to fully cooperate with the bereaved families and provide immediate medical aid to the injured, according to Pakistan Radio.

Pakistan President says ‘terrorists are enemies of Pak’

Several ministers condoled the attacks. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari said, “The brutal killing of innocent people is the killing of the entire humanity.” He further said the terrorists are enemies of Pakistan and humanity alike.

The President also said those involved in the killing of innocent people must be brought to justice.

Balochistan Ministers condole the attack

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti strongly condemned the incident of terrorism. He condoled the deaths and expressed his sympathies for the families of the deceased, further stated the Dawn report.

The Federal Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, also took to X to condemn the brutality of the terrorists. Stating that the Balochi government will pursue each of the terrorist, he said “..Terrorists and their facilitators will not be able to escape an exemplary end.”

“The terrorists showed brutality by targeting innocent passengers near Musakhail,” he was quoted as saying in a statement on X posted by PML-N. The government expresses its heartfelt condolences to and sympathizes with the bereaved families, said the statement.

According to another report, Punjab government spokesperson Azma Bukhari said she was angry about the attack.