A case has been registered at the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Zhob police station following the brutal killing of nine passengers in Balochistan’s Loralai district.
The First Information Report (FIR) includes sections of murder and anti-terrorism, with the investigation led by CTD Balochistan based on a complaint from the Levies SHO.
The attack occurred on Thursday evening in the Sur-Dakai area, near the border between Zhob and Loralai districts, as two passenger buses were travelling from Quetta to Punjab.
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At around 5:30pm, armed assailants intercepted the vehicles, forced passengers to disembark, and conducted identity checks. Twelve individuals were abducted; three were later released while nine were executed in cold blood.
Security officials confirmed that the bodies were recovered from the mountainous Doob area in Zhob during an overnight search operation. The victims were first shifted to the district hospital in Zhob for medico-legal procedures and were later transported to their hometowns in Punjab on Friday morning.
Victims identified
The nine victims were identified as:
- Muhammad Irfan (Dera Ghazi Khan)
- Sabir Ali (Gujranwala)
- Muhammad Asif (Muzaffargarh)
- Ghulam Saeed (Lodhran)
- Muhammad Junaid Ahmad (Gojra)
- Muhammad Bilal (Attock)
- Bilawal (Gujrat)
- Usman and Jabir Toor (brothers, Lodhran)
Tragically, the case has taken on even more painful dimensions in individual stories. Muhammad Asif had been married just three months ago. His funeral prayer in Muzaffargarh was attended by thousands. Ghulam Saeed, a sepoy from Village 72/15-L, Lodhran, was en route to see his ailing father; the father reportedly died of shock upon receiving his son’s body.
Brothers Usman and Jabir Toor, residents of Dunyapur, Lodhran, were travelling to Multan to attend their father’s funeral. Their own funeral, attended by political figures and locals, was marked by deep sorrow and disbelief. Meanwhile, journalist Iftikhar Ahmad Ansari’s son, Muhammad Junaid Ahmad, was also among the victims.
BLF claims responsibility
The banned Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) later claimed responsibility for the attack.
In a statement, the group’s spokesperson said the nine individuals were killed after militants blocked the highway between Musakhail-Makhtar and Khajuri.
Condemnations from national leaders
President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the killings, describing them as “an act of savagery.” In a statement issued by the Presidency, he said: “The terrorist agents of Fitna-e-Hindustan are executing a heinous plot of bloodshed in Pakistan. Targeting unarmed civilians after identification is pure brutality.” He vowed to cleanse the country of such forces and expressed solidarity with the victims’ families.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif also condemned the incident, calling it a “national tragedy.” She expressed grief and extended condolences to the bereaved families, urging unity and swift justice.
CM Bugti reviews law and order
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti presided over a high-level law and order meeting in Quetta to review the security situation in the wake of the Sur-Dakai massacre. Inspector General of Police Balochistan, Moazzam Jah Ansari, and other top security officials briefed the CM on the motives, investigative progress, and immediate response by law enforcement agencies.
Bugti termed the attack a direct challenge to the writ of the state and issued strict instructions to ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly apprehended and prosecuted. He called for enhanced coordination among security agencies and renewed counter-terrorism efforts in volatile regions.
Funerals held across Punjab
Funeral prayers for the victims were held in their native towns across Punjab on Friday and Saturday. In Attock, Muhammad Bilal was laid to rest in his ancestral village amid a large gathering, including the Assistant Commissioner and DSP Jund. In Gujranwala, Kamonki, Gojra, and Lodhran, similar scenes of grief unfolded as families and communities mourned the loss of innocent lives.
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