Nine passengers, all belonging to Punjab, were brutally shot dead after being abducted by terrorists affiliated with Fitna-ul-Hindustan in the Loralai district, officials confirmed on Thursday.
According to Loralai Commissioner Saadat Hussain, the incident occurred near the Dakai intersection on the National Highway connecting Loralai and Musakhel. The victims were kidnapped after disembarking from a passenger bus.
“Armed assailants intercepted the passengers, separated them based on identity, and took them away. Their bodies have now been recovered,” the commissioner told reporters.
Two of the passengers were identified as brothers Usman Toor and Jabir Toor, reisdents of Dunyapur. They reportedly lived in Quetta for work and were going home for their father’s funeral.
Earlier, it was reported that terrorists of Fitna-ul-Hindustan attacked passenger buses in Kalat, Mastung, and Loralai, abducting several travellers.
According to details, a search operation was launched in the affected areas to safely recover the abducted passengers, said the spokesperson for the provincial government.
The attacks occurred on Wednesday, police sources confirmed. Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind confirmed the incidents and stated that security forces responded promptly and robustly at all three locations.
Rind emphasised that the forces were fully alert to ensure the safety of civilians and that every effort was being made to secure the release of the kidnapped passengers.
He added that security forces were conducting intensive operations against the terrorists and the protection of citizens remains the government’s top priority.
