Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday condemned the killing of seven ‘Punjab-bound travellers’ who were forcibly offloaded from a bus and shot dead late Tuesday night in the Radkan area of Balochistan’s Barkhan district.
The incident took place on National Highway (NA-70) in Rakhni between Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning, according to officials.
Barkhan Deputy Commissioner Waqar Khurshid Alam said the attackers intercepted a passenger bus travelling from Quetta to Lahore.
“Armed men offloaded seven passengers from a coach after checking their identity cards and killed them,” he said.
“All seven who were traveling in the coach belonged to Punjab and were on their way to Lahore,” he added.
Levies officials said that a group of 25 to 30 armed individuals stopped the bus, forcibly removed the seven passengers, and took them to a nearby mountainous area, where they were shot dead.
“The gunmen opened fire after disembarking them from the coach, killing them on the spot,” a Levies officer said, adding that the attackers fled the scene before security forces arrived.
The deceased have been identified as Adnan Mustafa, Ashiq Hussain, Shaukat Ali, Muhammad Ashiq, Asim Ali, Muhammad Ajmal, and Muhammad Ishaq.
The district administration confirmed that the deceased’s bodies have been transported to Punjab via ambulances.
Following the attack, an emergency was declared at Rakhni Hospital, and Levies forces blocked traffic at Chhapar to prevent entry and exit from the area as security forces launched a search operation.
BLA Says the Deceased Were Pakistani Intelligence Agents
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the killing of those seven individuals in Barkhan, alleging that they were personnel of the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies.
According to BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch, “BLA fighters stopped the desired coach in a raid-based operation based on ZIRAB’s intelligence, which was carrying personnel of the occupying Pakistani army and intelligence agencies.”
Among those killed, the BLA identified former Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Aashiq Hussain, accusing him and others of involvement in “spying, Baloch genocide, enforced disappearances, and harming Baloch national interests.”
Government Vows ‘Concrete Response’
Expressing grief over the killings, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended his condolences to their families and directed authorities to “swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice.”
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti also condemned the attack, calling it a “cowardly act” by “enemies of peace”and vowing a concrete response
“This brutal attack is intolerable, and the state will respond forcefully,” Mr Bugti said.
In a separate statement, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said security forces, including the Frontier Corps and Levies, were conducting operations to locate the attackers.
Similar Past Attacks
Balochistan has witnessed similar attacks in recent years, in which passengers were identified and executed after being removed from buses.
In August last year, armed individuals intercepted vehicles along the Dera Ghazi Khan–Balochistan Highway, killing 22 people near Musakhail—20 of whom were from Punjab, while two were from Balochistan.
At the time, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility, saying it had targeted military personnel traveling in civilian clothes.
In April last year, BLA fighters blocked a highway near Nushki, identifying and killing nine people they alleged were “agents of Pakistani intelligence agencies.”
Where is Barkhan?
Barkhan is located around 450 kilometers southeast of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.
It shares its southern and southeastern borders with the conflict-affected areas of Kohlu and Dera Bugti, while its northeastern boundary connects with Punjab’s Dera Ghazi Khan district.
The district’s terrain is largely mountainous, populated primarily by the Khetran tribe of Baloch. The Marri and Bugti tribes also live in the border regions.