The 14 bodies were found in the nearby mountains. PHOTO: FILE
The passengers were on board five buses bound for Rajanpur in Punjab.
According to Dr Kashif, Assistant Commissioner of Machh, normally passenger buses out of Balochistan are escorted with safety personnel. However, a militant attack on an oil tanker in the same area lead to cross fire between the militants and the Balochistan Levies and Frontier Corps (FC), which kept security forces busy.
During the combat, one FC officer lost his life while two others were injured, Dr Kashif confirmed.
“Search operations in the area are continuing,” the assistant commissioner added while speaking to Express News.
The remaining passengers are still missing and the chief minister of Balochistan has taken notice of the incident.
The Frontier Corps (FC), the security force deployed in the province, has been struggling to maintain peace in unstable areas particularly those affected by ethnic and sectarian violence.
COMMENTS (39)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
And the most bizzare thing is that majority of the punjabis/saraikis living in Rajanpur are actually of baloch origin. So these BLA terrorists have shown how much they care even about the people who are actually related to them , they just happen to inhabit rajanpur for centuries and as a result speak local dialect of punjabi/saraiki.
@Khurram Awan:
I really do not understand why there is no brotherhood based on our shared ethnicity among punjabis in pakistan. The main reason in my view is that establishment has messed up punjabi identity in pakistan, why punjabis in pakistan do not raise collective voice to condemn strongly the suffering of their punjabi speaking brethren in other provinces. You are the only poster that really takes the pride in being punjabi apart from being pakistani. I think the problem lies in the fact that our provincial capital lahore does not give a damn about our punjabi identity when it should be doing that because that is what we are, we are bound to each other due to similar dialects and culture in punjab, what is missing is the sense of acknowledgement of punjabi ethnicity in pakistan by the punjabis themselves.
All the Illegal Land Owners i.e. Lords/Sardars should be hanged. Land Reforms like India should come. Maximum 50 Acres per family ca be permitted on 99 years lease. Lords think that they are God. This is illegal land. Court should issue orders that they should Surrender those lands by a certain date (say 01-01-2014) after which they will have to pay Rs.1000 per acre per day as surcharge from 01-01-14 till the time Government could snatch all the lands of Baluchistan and Pakistan from All Lords.
@Ahmed: And still mangil, bugti and baluch national leaders look towards Nawaz for mediation. What other single leader has done anything of any notional value for Baluchs?
@shahid: "restructured in order to give smaller nationalities their due economic, political and cultural rights" each race is governing its own province, for more than half of political history in Pakistan, Pakistan has been ruled by Non-Punjabis. What other rights specifically are you referring to?
@Tinkerbell: Actually biggest racists tag themselves liberals these days.
It has already been reported that ID cards were checked and those belonging to Punjab were slaughtered. Really very unfortunate and shameful. I think Minister of Interior Mr. Ch. Nisar should resign immediately. Baluchistan and KP has become hub of both sectarian and other terrorist activities. Strangely all stake holders are not on one page to resolve this issue which has now become headlines at international level.
What benifit is there for balochi terrorist to kill innocent laborers and climb in the mountains, can pakistani govt use drones to take care these terrorists and bandits, go and kill people who are responsible for looting resourece of you area, actually resources are not belong to balochi people, they are belong to govt. of pakistan, and i wish some day we have honest government who take care of poor people of whole pakistan using and spending these resources on people of pakistan. Patriot pakistani balochi people as other pakistanis take care and safety of poor pakistanis who come to work in balochistan.
saraikis r not killed by baloch liberation army.. i condemn these killings but this is a pay back time for punjabis for killing bhottu family,bugti sb,balach marri, and expect same thngs frm saraiki area in future if punjabis keep on doing the same things...
@Haider @Ahmed...Good points!
@Pakistani Ostrich: Our security agencies are a total failure and as a result, people will pick up the arms to defend themselves.
US CENTCOM even outdoes Pakistan foreign office and ISPR in issuing statements.
First and foremost, our condolences go out to the families of innocent passengers killed in cold blood. They were on their way to rejoice Eid-ul-Fitr with family, but unfortunately, they are now being forced to mourn their deaths. Do these heartless criminals ever think what havoc a murder causes to a family? Do they ever think about the potential impact on the extended family members? But do these murderers care? I guess not. The holy month of Ramadan has only witnessed them increase their attacks on the innocents. All these terrorist do is bring death and destruction. We stand by the people of Pakistan in their time of sorrow and condemn the killings of innocent working men. Our resolve is to work together to eradicate terrorism from the region.
Abdul Quddus DET-United States Central Command
@all participants The problems will be solved if same tear is shed upon the Baloch youth genocide, baloch missing persons.
Why not use the words "murderers of innocent human being" rather than a singling out people belonging to a particular area? Do you only grieve for someone's tragedy because they are Punjabis, Pashtuns, Shias, Sunnis or even Christians? The "so called Baloch rebels" hold the same prejudice as we all do! That being said doesn't give us the right to condemn anyone's acts.
Such targeted killings will weaken the Baluch cause. In India , the Kashmi seperatists lost any legitimacy once they killed and expelled Hindu Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir Valley. They degenerated into a religion inspired brutal militant group.
My blood was boiling after watching the news on TV. In Pakistan, blood is cheaper than water. Innocent humans are slaughtered like animals while the whole nation watches and then moves on with their normal routines.
A false accusation on a Christian can brings thousands of people on streets but no protest for the loss of innocent lives. We are doomed for destruction by the wrath of God or the religious extremists. We all are guilty for our silence and will never forgive our agencies and justice department.
I see this as work of 'foreign hands' who are trying to create rift between different ethnicity of pakistan. Looking at the comments posted, the plan seems to be working. Some imbecile posters are suggesting that punjabis pick up arms and start killing the baloch! Without any proof whatsoever!
Balochistan's original Balochi people by all means should demand for their land-natural resources-political power be in their hand. Sheikh Mujib's historic '6-points' formula was not only for the Bengalis but also for all freedom loving oppressed nations particularly of this region. Sheikh Mujib had always very sympathetic feeling for the brave Baloch people (even after the creation of Bangladesh). Also, all Baloch leaders of that era (including Bughti) had very high regards for Shaikh Mujib. I think, had Mujib be the prime minister of Pakistan in 1971, Balochistan is a different story today.
shame on authorities for their continuous failures. Please have martial law with justice on the spot.
I condemn these killings just like I condemn the killings of thousands of Shias. People that are commenting here should also join Shia killing Dharnas. We have been saying this for too long that ALL pakistanis must condemn Shia killings with same fervor or these killers will be coming after you too.
although the killing of people is deplorable, the punjabi-dominated pakistani state has to be restructured in order to give smaller nationalities their due economic, political and cultural rights. otherwise, such incidents will continue and intensify in future.
*Very very sad tragedy * Govt must implement their writ in all country specially those areas where law and order situation is too bad.
More than 1,000 Punjabis have been killed so far in Balochistan by these militants. Where are the mouthpieces of HR-NGOs who name a single killing of a particular sect in Pakistan "A genocide", no matter the killing might have been because of personal enmity.
Anyway, Punjabis shouldn't treat this as a matter that can prompt hatred toward our Balochi brothers and sisters. This handful of militants should be tackled wisely.
Now where is the outrage over this other genocide.....
@Khurram Awan:
question is where is the head of the state during all this occurrences...economic hub is under water, major cities are under constant terrorist threats. People are being brutally killed. But he's gone to Makkah yatra to ask Allah's forgiveness. He wants to bring Chinese investment from which he would build the bullet trains through out this country only to be blown up by the terrorists. because either he is not serious about tackling terrorism or he is just too incompetent. I believe he is both.
Apprehend the killers immediately and charge them with terrorism. Apprehend the killers of Shias/Hazaras and charge them too. Apprehend those making people disappear and also bring them to justice. Law must apply equally to all.
I bet killers would have checked their ID cards first and only Punjabis would have been killed. Poor workers who were earning livelihood in Baluchistan and were returning to celebrate EID. how sad.
This was bound to happen when the state closes its eyes towards the genocide of a particular community.
It cant get more sad and unfortunate than this !
I don't know what to comment... I have lost my words...
On Twitter throughout the day Pushtun and Baloch bash Punjabis and call them names but when such incidents happen then we see a Complete silence on All Social Forums. Killing Innocent People who were just coming to Celebrate Eid in Punjab is the sheer case of Brutality and nothing else. The people who were killed are all innocent laborers who worked hard to earn their livelihood. I hope Someone from Punjab should took weapons to root out these murderers of Punjabis as Security forces are totally failing in their efforts to curb such so called Baloch Rebels.
So big tragedy, 14 innocent pakistanis killed by the terrorists in Balochistan, surprisingly no comments from any corner of pakistan. Attenton and concentration is only on MQM. Had this incident occured in Karachi, by now there would be at least 50 comments registered under this news.
No one to weep for the blood of innocent Punjabis and Siraikis in Baluchistan.