In an armed assault on a police station in Turbat, a city in Balochistan’s Kech district, a police official and four individuals from Punjab province were killed, with one person injured.
The attack unfolded in the early hours of Tuesday when gunmen targeted the Nasirabad police station. The deceased were identified as Muhammad Azeem, Shehbaz, Baqir Ali, and Shahzad Ahmed, all from Muzaffargarh, Punjab. The slain police official was Atta Jan from Nodiz, Turbat. Another individual, Mudassir from D.G. Khan, who sustained injuries, is currently receiving medical treatment.
Following the attack, SSP Muhammad Baloch’s team responded, initiating a search for the assailants while forensics teams gathered evidence at the scene.
This incident follows a recent pattern of attacks targeting non-locals in the region. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a “pro-independence” group, claimed responsibility for a similar attack earlier this month, which resulted in six deaths.
The BLA spokesperson, Jeeyand Baloch, accused the deceased from Punjab of espionage for the Pakistani army, alleging they were using a house in Turbat’s Satellite Town as a base for activities against the Baloch cause.
After Tuesday’s attack, the bodies of the deceased were transported to Muzaffargarh with an official police-escorted convoy. Local authorities also confirmed the completion of arrangements for the burial of the slain police official.
In the wake of the attack, the police administration in Turbat has seen a reassignment of roles, with Zia ul Haq Mandokhail stepping in as the new Superintendent of Police following the transfer of the previous SP, Muhammad Baloch.
The caretaker Chief Minister of Balochistan, Ali Mardan Domki, has called for a comprehensive report from the Ministry of Interior and Tribal Affairs and expressed his condolences over the incident.