President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday strongly condemned the overnight killing of five passengers in a firing incident in the Kalmat area of Balochistan’s Gwadar district.

Militants in Balochistan have recently intensified their attacks, with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) emerging as a key perpetrator of terrorist violence in Pakistan in 2024.

Five people were killed by armed men who blocked the highway late last night, while three long-body trailers carrying urea from Gwadar port were set on fire in the Tajaban area, according to Highway Police Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Hafeez Baloch.

Officials said four people were killed in the Kalmat area between Pasni and Ormara after being offloaded from a Karachi-bound passenger bus.

“Armed men killed four passengers after checking their ID cards and took away three others,” an official of the local administration said, adding that they belonged to Punjab.

Security forces had moved towards the area where militants had blocked highways, with operations to clear the roads underway.

The president and prime minister, in separate statements, prayed for peace for the departed souls, speedy recovery of the injured, and strength for the bereaved families to bear the loss, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported.

“The terrorists are the enemies of the country’s development and prosperity in Balochistan. They cannot see progress in Balochistan,” President Zardari said.

“We will never allow the anti-state designs of miscreants to succeed,” PM Shehbaz vowed.

PM Shehbaz ordered that the injured be provided with the best possible medical treatment and that an investigation be carried out to identify and punish the perpetrators.

Calling the miscreants the enemies of peace and development, the premier said their cowardly actions of killing innocent people reflected their brutality.

He praised the security forces and law enforcement agencies for thwarting the nefarious designs of the anti-state elements, saying the entire nation was proud of them.

Condemning the incident, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said on X: “Offloading innocent passengers from a bus and murdering them based on their identity is a heinous and cowardly act.”

Extending his condolences to the bereaved families, CM Bugti pledged that the “war against hardcore terrorists would continue and they would be brought to justice by all means”.

According to SSP Baloch, roads were also blocked in Turbat, Panjgur and Pasni. Levies officials said roadblocks were also witnessed in the Bolan, Kolpur and Mastung areas. They added that one of Levies’ vehicles was also set on fire in the Mastung area.

There were also late-night reports about an attack on a security forces post in Turbat. Heavy exchange of fire and explosions were heard in the Turbat town, but there was no official confirmation of the incident.

7 of a family killed, house burned down in Sohbatpur land dispute

Meanwhile, seven members of a family were killed in Balochistan’s Sohbatpur district, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Yousuf Karim Bhangar told Dawn.com.

Three men were killed when armed men stormed the house of farmer Muhammad Siddique in Mir Dor Khan Khosa village.

The armed men also set fire to the house and crops, resulting in the deaths of three children and a woman.

The incident occurred within the jurisdiction of the RD 238 police station, the SSP said.

The age of the deceased ranges from three to 45 years of age, SSP Bhangar said, adding that the bodies have been shifted to Sohbatpur District Headquarter Hospital for postmortem and necessary procedures.

The SSP said there had been a long time land dispute between two tribes in Sohbatpur, with both tribes claiming ownership of the land.

“The accused do not deserve any leniency and will not be spared under any circumstances,” the SSP said.

The attacks come amid a tense security situation prevailing in the province after the terrorist hijacking of the Jaffar Express train earlier this month, in which 26 hostages, including 18 security personnel, lost their lives. Five more security personnel were martyred during the operation.

On March 16, three security personnel and two civilians died as a vehicle-borne suicide bomber attacked a security forces convoy in the Noskhi district.

Last week, four labourers from Punjab were shot dead by unknown assailants in Balochistan’s Kalat district, while four policemen were similarly gunned down in Noshki.

The previous month, seven Punjab-bound passengers were offloaded from a bus and shot dead in Balochistan’s Barkhan district.

In August last year, when BLA launched numerous attacks across the province, 23 travellers were offloaded from trucks and buses and shot in the Musakhail district.

In two separate incidents in April 2024, nine people were killed after being forced off a bus near Noshki, while two labourers from Punjab were shot in Kech. The next month, seven barbers from Punjab were shot dead near Gwadar.