At least 33 people have been killed in Balochistan's Musakhel district after militants forcibly offloaded passengers from trucks and buses and later executed them after checking their identities on Monday, officials said.
"They stopped the passenger coaches and managed to take the people out before opening fire on them," commented the assistant commissioner of Musakhail, Najeeb Kakar, saying that the passenger coaches were bound for the interprovincial highway, ferrying travellers to and from the Rarasham area of Musakhel.
The official told reporters that "the victims are reportedly from Punjab."
As per reports, the attackers also set ablaze ten vehicles and managed to escape. Security and law enforcement forces reached the spot and started moving the dead bodies to a nearby hospital.
Balochistan's Chief Minister condemned the incident and termed it an act of terrorism.
In a statement issued from his office, he expressed grief over the incident with the relatives of the deceased and said the accused and their abettors would be held accountable.
"The Balochistan government shall relentlessly pursue these terrorists," Bugti said.
The government expressed deep sorrow over the incident and grief over the agony of the relatives.
Balochistan has been long infested with terrorism. The territory is considered the bastion of the terrorist group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an offshoot group of the Afghan Taliban currently ruling Afghanistan.
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