At least three people were martyred, while seven others sustained injuries in a deadly gun attack on a passenger coach near Niemurgh Cross in the Kalat district of Balochistan on Wednesday, local officials and the provincial government spokesperson confirmed.
The deceased, all belonging to a Qawwali group from Karachi were heading to the Balochistan capital to perform in an event there. The provincial government officials accused the Fitna al-Hindustan — the Indian proxy insurgents — for the indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians.
Elsewhere in the province, a security force officer was martyred, while three Indian proxy terrorists were killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Awaran district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a press release.
The bus attack came after last week's similar assault in the Loralai district, in which nine passengers were abducted and shot dead after their identity check by terrorists. That attack was claimed by an India-backed Baloch terrorist outfit.
The officials said that the passenger bus came under fire from unidentified armed men, while it was traveling from Karachi to Quetta, adding that the police and rescue teams responded immediately, and shifted the victims to a hospital and began search operations for the perpetrators.
"The injured are being provided medical assistance at the DHQ [District Headquarters] Hospital in Kalat," Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said in a statement. "Security personnel are present at the location, and investigation is in progress," he added.
Though there was no immediate confirmation of the identities of the victims from the Balochistan government officials, sources in Karachi said that they were part of the 15-member group, and were travelling to Quetta for a Qawwali performance.
The sources said that the victims belonged to the Majid Ali Sabri group, based in Karachi's Pir Illahi Bux Colony. In a social media post, a group member, Nadeem, was heard saying that the attack happened when they were about 45 minutes of drive away from their destination.
The man was heard as saying that three members of the group had died because of the firing and many others were injured. "What was our fault? We are the people who perform Qawwali and recite Naat Sharif," the man said in the viral video.
It is learnt that Majid Ali Sabri group were not related to famous Sabri Brothers — Ghulam Farid Sabri and Maqbool Sabri. Talha Sabri, son of Ghulam Farid Sabri and younger brother another famous Qawwal of the family, Amjad Sabri, said that the victims were not related the Sabri Qawwal family.
"Majid Ali and Nadeem Ali, who are the victims of the tragic incident, belong to a Qawwal family. We pray for Allah's mercy on those, who died in the tragedy and the quick recovery of those who sustained injuries," Talha Sabri told The Express Tribune.
The motive behind the Kalat assault remains unclear, but Balochistan has been gripped by a deadly violence, being carried out by insurgent groups, which are supported by the India. Last week, Fitna-e-Hindustan terrorists killed at least nine bus passengers after checking their identities in Loralai.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti accused the Fitna-e-Hindustan for the cowardly attack on the innocent civilians. "The attack on a passenger coach in Kalat is a cowardly and despicable act of terrorism. The loss of precious lives is an irreparable loss," he said in a post on X.
"The terrorist organizations of Fitna-al Hind, which earlier gave the impression of attacks based on identity, are now targeting civilians indiscriminately, which clearly shows that this war is against every Pakistani," he added. "We will foil it at all costs!"
Condemnations pour in
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed their deep sorrow over the martyrdom of innocent civilians. The president said that terrorists wanted to disrupt peace and stability in the province because they were the enemies of humanity.
"The terrorists who harm the lives and property of innocent and unarmed civilians will have to pay a very heavy price," The Prime Minister Office Media Wing quoted Prime Minister Shehbaz in a press release, as saying
The president and the prime minister reaffirmed that the government and the security forces were fully determined to eliminate terrorism from the country. "With the support of the nation, we will eradicate the cancer of terrorism from the country," Zardari said, according to President Secretariat Press Wing.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack by Fitna-ul-Hindustan terrorists on a passenger bus. Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah also condemned the terrorist attack, terming it "a very barbaric act".
Awaran IBO
Meanwhile, the ISPR, the media wing of the military, said in a press release that an officer was martyred, while three Indian proxy terrorists were killed in an IBO, which was carried out in the Awaran district on the reported presence of the terrorists, belonging to Indian Proxy Fitna al Hindustan.
"During the conduct of operation, own troops effectively engaged the terrorist location and resultantly, three Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell," it said. "However, during the intense fire exchange, Major Syed Rabnawaz Tariq (age: 34 years, resident of District Muzafarabad), a brave officer who was leading his troops from the front, fought gallantly and paid the ultimate sacrifice," it added.
The ISPR said that sanitisation operation was being conducted to eliminate any other terrorist found in the area, as "the security forces of Pakistan are determined to wipe out the menace of Indian Sponsored Terrorism from the country, and such sacrifices of our brave men further strengthen our resolve".
(WITH INPUT FROM OUR KARACHI CORRESPONDENT AFTAB KHAN)
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