Quetta: At least three passengers were killed and several injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Quetta-bound passenger bus in Balochistan’s Kalat district on Wednesday, officials said.
The incident occurred on the Quetta-Karachi highway, in the Nemargh area, when armed assailants intercepted the bus and opened indiscriminate fire, according to police sources. The vehicle was travelling from Karachi to Quetta at the time of the attack.
Security personnel and rescue teams reached the site shortly after the incident, where they secured the area, gathered forensic evidence, and shifted the injured to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ), Kalat, where an emergency was declared. The deceased were also moved to the same hospital for post-mortem examinations.
Officials stated that a search operation had been launched to trace the perpetrators, while an investigation into the incident was under way.
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PM, president condemn bus attack
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack and expressed grief over the loss of lives. In a statement, he said: “The terrorists will have to pay a heavy price. The government and security forces are determined to eliminate terrorism from the country.”
President Asif Ali Zardari also denounced the attack, terming it a “cowardly and brutal act”, and extended condolences to the families of the victims. He said those targeting innocent civilians were “enemies of peace and humanity.”
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind confirmed the fatalities and injuries, stating that the security forces had cordoned off the area and a manhunt was under way.
“This tragic incident occurred in Nemargh. The government stands with the affected families, and security forces are actively pursuing the attackers,” he said.
Speaker of the National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq also condemned the incident, describing it as a terrorist attack and blaming militants whom he described as “Fitna-ul-Hindustan” — a phrase used by some officials to imply foreign involvement in recent attacks.
The attack comes days after nine passengers from Punjab were killed in a similar armed assault on two buses in Mastung district, near the Zhob-Loralai border on July 11. In that case as well, officials had pointed to alleged foreign-backed militant elements.
