In a tragic incident in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, nine people were shot and killed by rebels on Thursday night. The attackers stopped two passenger buses traveling from Quetta to Punjab and checked the passengers’ identity cards.
Those who were from Punjab were taken off the buses at gunpoint and later killed nearby. According to officials, the rebels also took the victims’ ID cards with them.
Local officer Naveed Alam said the attackers blocked the highway and forced the buses to stop. They pulled nine people out and killed them. The bodies were later found by security forces near the road.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), a rebel group fighting for independence from Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. The group has often targeted civilians and military personnel who are not from Balochistan.
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President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the killings and blamed the BLA for trying to create unrest in the country.
This incident is similar to a previous attack last year where 23 passengers were killed. While the BLA accuses the government of suppressing Baloch people, human rights groups have also accused Pakistan’s security forces of using harsh and illegal methods to fight the rebels.
