Quetta (Web Desk): At least 23 passengers were killed after being offloaded from passenger buses and trucks in the Rarasham area of Balochistan's Musakhel district in the early hours of Monday.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) MusaKhel Ayub Achakzai, the armed men blocked the inter-provincial highway in the Rarasham area of the district, offloaded the passengers from the buses and shot them dead after checking their identities. All the persons belonged to different areas of Punjab.
Musakhail Assistant Commissioner Najeeb Kakar also confirmed that armed men blocked the inter-provincial highway and offloaded passengers from several buses.
The Musakhel AC said the armed men also set fire to 10 vehicles.
Police and Levies officials reached the spot and began shifting the bodies to the hospital, he added.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday strongly condemned a terrorist attack targeting a passenger bus in the Musakhel area of Balochistan.
They expressed their deep grief over the loss of precious lives in the attack and called for taking the perpetrators to task.
Both the president and prime minister prayed to Allah Almighty for peace for the departed souls and strength for the bereaved families to bear the loss.
“The killing of innocent people is tantamount to killing the entire mankind. The terrorists are enemies of the country, nation, and humanity,” the president said and reiterated the nation’s resolve to keep up fighting terrorism.
Prime Minister Shehbaz directed the law enforcement agencies to carry out an immediate probe into the incident. He also instructed the authorities to cooperate with victim families and extend urgent medical care to the injured.
“The perpetrators of this attack will be given an exemplary punishment. No form of terrorism is acceptable in the country. Our fight against terrorism will continue till the complete elimination of the scourge.” the prime minister resolved.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti strongly condemned the incident of terrorism.
He expressed heartfelt sympathy and condolences to the families of those who died in the cowardly act of terrorists, according to a statement issued from his office.
"The terrorists and their facilitators will not be able to escape an exemplary end", the Balochistan CM said, adding that the Balochistan government will pursue the terrorists.