Nine passengers abducted and killed by armed men in Balochistan

Quetta (Web Desk): At least nine passengers were abducted and killed by unidentified armed men late Thursday night in the Sur-Dakai area, located on the border between Balochistan’s Zhob and Loralai districts.

The victims were traveling on two separate Punjab-bound coaches when the assailants intercepted the vehicles near the N-70 highway, close to the Dab area.

According to officials, the attackers blocked the road, forced their way onto the coaches, and examined the identity cards of passengers before selecting individuals with Punjab addresses.

Zhob Assistant Commissioner Naveed Alam confirmed the recovery of nine bodies, stating that efforts were underway to transport the victims' remains to Rakhni for further dispatch to their hometowns in Punjab.

The incident was also confirmed by Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind, who said that the armed group involved had carried out coordinated attacks in multiple areas including Kakat, Mastung, and Sur-Dakai.

He added that a search operation had been launched to locate any additional abducted individuals who might still be in captivity.

Eyewitness accounts from survivors revealed that ten people—seven from one coach and three from another—were forcibly removed at gunpoint.

The attackers reportedly fired at the buses to prevent any resistance or escape attempts.

The security forces immediately responded by suspending traffic on the highway and initiating a large-scale manhunt in the area.

As per the sources, the perpetrators were specifically targeting passengers from Punjab, using the CNICs to identify them.

Later, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), a proscribed separatist group, claimed responsibility for the killings, stating they had carried out the ambush by blocking the highway connecting Musakhail-Makhtar and Khajuri.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti strongly condemned the massacre of passengers, calling it a heinous and inexcusable act. He assured the public that those responsible would be brought to justice and held fully accountable for their crimes.

In a firm statement, CM Bugti declared that every terror scheme would be met with uncompromising resistance and unity. He emphasized the provincial government’s steadfast determination to eliminate terrorism in all its manifestations and pledged that such atrocities would not be tolerated.

Expressing sympathy with the families of the victims, he labeled the attackers as cowardly and inhumane, stating that the innocent lives lost would not be forgotten. He maintained that this tragic incident only strengthened the resolve of the government to act decisively.

CM Bugti further asserted that any groups connected to what he referred to as Fitna-e-Hindustan would be dismantled, describing the confrontation as more than a security challenge—it was a direct threat to the state itself.

He promised a forceful and conclusive response, vowing that the province would not waver in its fight against those who seek to destabilize it.