On Monday, officials reported that at least 33 people were killed in a series of terrorist attacks in southwestern Pakistan. The violence targeted policemen, local residents, and passengers. The attacks, which occurred across multiple locations, involved assaults on railway tracks, a gas pipeline, and a police station, according to Shahid Rind, a spokesman for the provincial government.
In the early hours of the day, a group of armed men conducted a brutal attack in Musakhail district. They forced passengers off trucks and buses, checked their identities, and killed those identified as being from Punjab. This assault resulted in the deaths of at least 23 individuals. The attackers also blocked the inter-provincial highway and set fire to vehicles.
In a separate incident in Kalat district, another 10 people were killed, including five policemen and five civilians, as reported by Ihsanullah Khan from the local police. The confrontation between the terrorists and the police resulted in at least nine additional people being wounded.
The militants also targeted infrastructure, detonating a railway track in the Bolan region and causing damage to a gas pipeline in the Dera Bugti area. The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a banned separatist insurgent group, has claimed responsibility for these coordinated attacks.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest and most volatile province, continues to experience violence from various groups, including Islamist militants, sectarian factions, and nationalist rebels. Rebel attacks targeting workers from other provinces, particularly those involved in projects funded by China under a $62 billion investment plan, are not uncommon. Many individuals from Punjab and other regions move to Balochistan for employment opportunities related to these Chinese-funded projects.