Pakistan: Gunmen Kill 23 Travellers After Offloading Them From Vehicles In Balochistan

Gunmen in Pakistan killed at least 23 people after stopping vehicles on a highway and checking their identities. They also set fire to 10 vehicles.

At least 23 people were killed on Monday after gunmen offloaded passengers from trucks and buses and shot them dead after checking their identities. The armed men also set fire to 10 vehicles, said the officials. 

The incident took place in Balochistan's Musakhail district where the armed men blocked the inter-provincial highway connecting Punjab and Balochistan provinces. “The dead are reportedly from Punjab,” said Musakhail Assistant Commissioner Najeeb Kakar, adding that they also set ablaze 10 vehicles, reported Dawn.

"At least 22 people were killed and 5 injured when operatives stopped several busses, trucks and vans on a highway connecting Punjab with Balochistan," Kakar told AFP. The gunment inspected vehicles traveling to and from Punjab and individuals from Punjab were identified and shot, he added.

Hameed Zehri, another senior official in the district, confirmed the death toll and suspected militants of the Baloch Liberations Army behind the attack. 

"It seems that the BLA (Baloch Liberation Army) terrorists are behind the incident," he said. 

The armed men not only killed passengers but also killed the drivers of trucks carrying coal, said Hameed Zahir, the deputy commissioner of the area where the incident occurred.

The resource-rich Balochistan has been witnessing decades of ethnic insurgency targeting workers from the eastern province of Punjab. The BLA militants see Punjabis as exploiting their resources and demand secession of Balochistan province from Pakistan. 

The Balochistan Liberation Army issued a statement saying its fighters had targeted military personnel travelling in civilian clothes, who were shot after being identified, reported Reuters. 

However, Pakistan's interior ministry said the dead were innocent citizens. 

The office of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif released a statement condemning the attack and vowed the security forces would retaliate and bring those responsible to justice.