Summary CM Bugti vows strict action against those responsible
QUETTA (Dunya News) – Five labourers from Punjab were killed after unidentified armed men opened fire in Balochistan's Washuk district on Sunday, with police launching an investigation and security forces beginning a search operation to trace the attackers.
The incident took place in the Mashkayl area of Washuk, where the victims were working at local shops when the gunmen allegedly stormed the area and opened indiscriminate fire, according to police sources. All five labourers died at the scene.
Police said the deceased belonged to different parts of Punjab. The attackers fled immediately after carrying out the shooting and had not been arrested at the time of reporting.
Authorities said legal formalities were being completed before the bodies were transported to the victims' native towns for burial. Police have registered the incident and launched an investigation to establish the circumstances surrounding the attack.
Security forces and other law enforcement agencies have also begun operations aimed at locating and arresting those responsible for the killings.
The attack drew a strong response from Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, who condemned what he described as the brutal killing of unarmed and innocent labourers. In a statement, Bugti said the victims were not only labourers from Punjab but citizens of Pakistan, hardworking people and "our own brothers". He said the attack targeted innocent civilians and represented an assault on Pakistan's unity, Constitution and the authority of the state rather than any particular province or ethnic group.
The chief minister also said that those carrying out such attacks under the banner of a so-called independence movement had exposed their intentions by targeting defenceless workers. According to Bugti, the objective of such groups was not to pursue legitimate rights but to spread violence, fear and instability across the country.
He further stated that anti-state elements and anyone facilitating them would not be spared, adding that the government was committed to ensuring those responsible were brought to justice.
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The killings come amid continuing security concerns in parts of Balochistan, where law enforcement agencies remain engaged in operations against armed militant groups.
Investigators are working to determine the identity of the attackers and the motive behind the latest assault, while security personnel continue search efforts in and around the Mashkayl area.
