Last night, the bodies of nine bus passengers that were kidnapped and killed in the Sardhaka area of Baluchistan were recovered and transported to their cities of origin in Punjab on Friday morning, authorities said.
On Thursday night, at least nine passengers were traveling in two coaches to Punjab were kidnapped and killed by unidentified armed men in the South-Dakai area, located on the border between the districts of Baluchistan and the districts of Lorealai, the commissioner Navigo Alam said Alam said one day ago.
The provincial government spokesman, Shahid Rind, also confirmed the incident and said that Fitna-al-Hindustan -A term that the government uses for terrorist organizations in Baluchistan-had carried out attacks in three different places: Kakat, Mastung and South-Dakai.
The Liberation Front of Baluchistan, a forbidden outfit, then attributed the responsibility of the attack. A group spokesman said he had killed the nine individuals after blocking the road between Musakhail-Makhtar and Khajuri.
Alam told him Dawn.com On Friday that the bodies of the nine passengers were delivered to a political agent in the Sakhi Sarwar district of Dera Ghazi Khan to be delivered to their families.
He said that seven of the passengers had been identified but that two could not identify due to the lack of documents.
“Terrorists must have taken the passenger identification documents with them,” said AC Alam.
Of the seven identified passengers, two were residents of Lodhran, while a passenger each was residents of Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujrat, Atock, Khanewal and Gujranwala.
Condemnations
The main leaders of the country strongly condemned the incident and promised actions against the perpetrators “at all costs.”
In today’s statement, President Asif Ali Zardari said: “This barbarism is part of Fitna-al-Hindustan“The evil conspiracy to spill blood in Pakistan”, administered by the State Pakistan radio reported.
Reaffirmed the commitment to “clear the land of Fitna-al-Hindustan and its facilitators at all costs. ”
Similarly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement issued by his office: “We will deal with terrorists with all their strength. The blood of innocent people will avenge.”
The prime minister added that the murder of unarmed civilians was a shameless act of terrorism for Fitna-al-Hindustan.
“With resolution, unity and strength, we will face the scourge of terrorism and wear it completely,” said Prime Minister.
Baluchistan’s prime minister, Sarfraz Bugti, also firmly condemned the incident, describing it as “shameless terrorism.”
“The murder of innocent civilians based on Pakistani identity is an unforgivable crime,” Bugti said, promising that the answer would be “severe.”
“Terrorists have shown that they are not human beings, but cowardly beasts,” he said, adding that the State “would not even let these murderers hide underground.”
The prime minister added: “All terrorist networks that are the sponsors of Fitna-al-Hindustan It will be destroyed. “
By pointing out that this was a “state war,” promised a decisive action.
CM Bugti promised to crush “all terrorism plans” with force, determination and unity. “Baluchistan will become a cemetery for enemies.”
According to the sources, two passenger coaches on their way to Punjab were intercepted in the Southkai area near the N-70 road, near DAB, a place along the border of Lorealai-Zhob. A group of armed men had blocked the road and stopped the two vehicles.
The armed assailants approached the coaches, verified the identity cards of the passengers and forced 10 people to leave the vehicles at gunpoint.
“They dragged 10 passengers, seven from one coach and three from the other, and took them (to an unknown place),” said a surviving passenger to Levies. “I don’t know what they did, but I heard shots when we were leaving.”
After kidnapping the nine passengers, the assailants allowed both coaches to leave the area.
The security forces suspended traffic on the road and began a large -scale search operation to locate the perpetrators.
According to the sources, the attackers verified the national identity letters of all passengers and were specifically addressed to people with Punjab addresses. They also opened fire against the coaches during kidnapping to avoid any escape.
Brother of murdered passengers urges security
One of the surviving passengers, knowing Toor, said Geographical news that he and 10 members of his family headed to Lodhran since Quetta for his father’s funeral when the attack occurred.
The gunmen discharged their two brothers, Usman and Jabir, from the bus in front of women and children of the family and killed them. “I can’t describe this time of pain: now we have three funerals in the family.”
“He urges the security forces to get rid of these criminals,” he said, adding that he and his brothers had been working on Quetta during the last 30 years and had no relations with any political party.
In May of this year, the Government appointed all terrorist organizations in Baluchistan as Fitna-al-Hindustan.
Baluchistan has witnessed a series of attacks aimed at those who came from Punjab. In two separate incidents in April 2024, nine people were killed after being forced to leave a bus near Noshki, while two Punjab workers were shot in Kech.
In February, seven passengers to Punjab were downloaded from a bus and shot dead in the Barkhan district. The incident occurred days after 12 were killed in an explosion aimed at a bus that transported coal miners in Harnai.
In May last year, seven Punjab barbers were shot dead near Gwadar, while August saw 23 travelers downloaded from trucks and bus and shot in the Musakhail district.
