KALAT, BALOCHISTAN: At least three passengers were killed and seven others injured when armed assailants opened fire on a passenger bus in the Nemargh area of Kalat district on Tuesday. The bus, travelling from Karachi to Quetta, came under attack in what officials have described as a planned ambush.
Provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind confirmed the incident, stating that terrorists had stopped the vehicle and fired from both sides of the road. "Three passengers were martyred and seven injured in this tragic incident," he said, adding that an emergency had been declared at District Headquarters Hospital Kalat. Some of the injured were also moved to Civil Hospital Quetta.
The Edhi Foundation initially reported the number of injured to be 10. Security forces and rescue teams reached the site quickly, with a cordon established around the area. A search operation is ongoing to apprehend the attackers.
Speaking to media, Rind said Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti had taken serious notice and ordered a full report from law enforcement agencies. He described the attack as part of a wider pattern by terrorists attempting to destabilize Balochistan.
State-run PTV aired statements from survivors who confirmed the indiscriminate nature of the attack. Security sources believe the ambush was carried out by elements frustrated over recent counter-terrorism successes, particularly against the India-backed group Fitna-Al-Hindustan. "These terrorists are targeting soft targets to draw attention away from the border operations," said one official.
The incident drew widespread condemnation from across the political spectrum. President Asif Ali Zardari and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi both denounced the attack, reaffirming the state’s commitment to eliminating terrorism. “We will root out these enemies of peace with full force,” Zardari stated.
CM Bugti and several other leaders emphasized national unity against terrorism, describing the attack as a cowardly attempt to spread fear. “We will defeat these Indian-sponsored terrorists. The nation stands united,” Bugti declared.
Investigations are ongoing, and no group has claimed responsibility as yet.
