A brutal attack shook Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Friday, when unidentified insurgents stopped a passenger bus on the national highway near Zhob and shot dead nine passengers after verifying their identities. All victims were residents of Punjab, officials confirmed. The attack took place on the Quetta-Lahore route and has once again highlighted the growing trend of ethnic targeting in the province.
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No Claim Of Responsibility Yet, Past Attacks Point To Baloch Insurgents
Though no outfit has claimed responsibility for the killings so far, past incidents suggest the involvement of Baloch separatist groups that have previously targeted Punjabi travellers and government employees in similar fashion.
It’s not the first time such violence has taken place. Similar attacks occurred in February and March this year, with passengers being pulled off buses and executed based on their ethnic identity.
Series Of Overnight Attacks Across Balochistan
The violence was not limited to Zhob. Insurgents reportedly launched coordinated strikes in several regions, including Quetta, Loralai, and Mastung. Although Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind confirmed these attacks, he stated, “There were no reports of casualties in any of them.”
Rind added that the security forces had successfully repulsed all attempted strikes, which included attacks on police stations, communication towers, and banks. Media reports from the region indicated heavy gunfire and attempted sabotage at multiple government installations throughout the night.
Balochistan’s Troubled Landscape
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and most resource-rich province, remains a hotbed of ethnic and separatist unrest. Baloch insurgent groups have frequently targeted infrastructure tied to the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), as well as government forces and civilians.
The province borders Iran and Afghanistan and has been struggling with a violent separatist insurgency for decades. The latest killings only deepen the wounds in an already volatile region.
