F.P. Report
QUETTA: At least three people have been killed and 12 others wounded after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a passenger bus in Kalat district of Balochistan. The bus, which was travelling from Karachi to Quetta, came under attack in the early hours of Wednesday.
According to initial reports, the injured were shifted to a nearby hospital, where two remain in critical condition. An emergency has been delcared at DHQ Kalat. Shahid Rind, the spokesman for Balochistan Government, confirmed the terror incident. Proncinvial administration, security forces and rescue officials have reached the site.
Medical teams also rushed to the site and transported the injured to the district hospital. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. Law enforcement agencies are conducting a search operation in the surrounding areas. Further updates are awaited as the situation develops. Provincial government representative Shahid Rind issued a statement confirming the assault near Nemurgh. He stated that security personnel, district officials, and rescue teams promptly arrived at the location. A search operation has been initiated after security forces secured the area. Mr. Rind confirmed the death toll and the number of individuals injured.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed their deep sorrow over the killing of innocent civilians in Kalat district of Balochistan, who were attacked by the Indian-backed terrorist group “Fitna-ul-Hindustan” on a passenger bus traveling from Karachi to Quetta.
The president strongly condemned the incident and said that the act of targeting innocent civilians was highly condemnable and barbaric, adding that terrorists wanted to disrupt peace and stability in the province as they were the enemies of humanity.
The president and the prime minister expressed their condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for their patience and strength. The president and the prime minister also directed for immediate medical assistance to the injured.
“The terrorists who harm the lives and property of innocent and unarmed civilians will have to pay a very heavy price,” PM Office Media Wing, in a press release, quoted the prime minister as saying. The president and the prime minister reaffirmed that the government and security forces were fully determined to eliminate terrorism from the country. “With the support of the nation, we will eradicate the cancer of terrorism from the country,” President Secretariat Press Wing, in a press release, quoted the president as saying.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack and described the targeting of innocent passengers as a “cowardly act.” He said such attacks are part of a wider conspiracy to destabilise the country, adding, “With the nation’s support, we will foil the plots of these Indian-sponsored terrorists.”
Balochistan Chief Minister condemned the attack. In a post on X, “The attack on the passenger coach in Kalat is a cowardly and despicable act of terrorism. The loss of precious lives is an irreparable tragedy. The terrorist organisations of Fitna-Al-Hindustan have previously carried out attacks based on identity, but now they are indiscriminately targeting civilians, which clearly shows that this war is against every ordinary Pakistani, and we will defeat it at all costs!.”
