KHUZDAR: Four lab­o­urers working on the ins­t­allation of an agricultural tube well were shot dead by unknown assailants in the Mangochar area of Kalat district on Saturday, officials confirmed.

Officials said the attack took place in the Malangzai area of Mangochar, some 70km from Kalat town.

“A group of armed men on motorcycles arrived at the site and opened fire on the labourers, killing them on the spot,” said Mangochar Assistant Commissioner Ali Gul Umrani. He added that seven attackers were involved, and they fled the scene immediately after the shooting.

Levies officials rushed to the site and transported the bodies to a nearby hospital for medico-legal formalities. The deceased were identified as Muna­war Hussain, Zeeshan, Dil­dar and Muhammad Amin.

All four were residents of Sadiqabad, Punjab, and had been working in the area for tubewell drilling. Their bodies were sent to their hometown. The ban­­ned BLA clai­med responsibility for the attack.

President Asif Ali Zar­dari, Prime Minister She­hbaz Sharif and Baloch­istan Chief Minister Sar­fraz Bugti strongly cond­e­mned the attack and vowed to take effective action against terrorist elements targeting unarmed labourers. “Targeting innocent wor­kers and civilians is a most brutal and condemnable act,” the president said.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2025