Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday condemned the brutal abduction and killing of nine bus passengers in Balochistan’s Sardhaka area.
“We will deal with terrorists with full force. The blood of innocent people will be avenged,” the prime minister said in a statement released by the PM Office.
He declared, “With resolve, unity, and strength, we will confront the scourge of terrorism and uproot it completely.”
According to local officials, armed assailants intercepted a bus travelling from Quetta to Lahore near Zhob on Thursday night. The attackers forced the passengers off the vehicle and executed nine of them one by one before fleeing the scene.
Naveed Alam, Assistant Commissioner of Zhob, confirmed the incident and said the victims’ bodies have been sent to Rehni Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Balochistan government blamed Fitna-al-Hindustan, accusing it of conducting coordinated assaults in Quetta, Kalat, Mastung, and Sardhaka.
Field Marshal Asim Munir also weighed in on Friday, stating that India was “doubling down to further its nefarious agenda through its proxies of Fitna-al-Khawarij and Fitna-al-Hindustan.”
Over the past year, numerous deadly incidents have occurred, including the killing of barbers, labourers, and bus passengers, often involving victims being offloaded from vehicles and executed.