Militants block highway in Balochistan, kill 11 - Times of India

Source: The Times of India
Author: Omer Farooq Khan

ISLAMABAD: Separatist militants gunned down at least 11 people after setting up a blockade along the national highway leading to Iran in Pakistan's Nushki district of Balochistan province, police officers said Saturday.

A dozen gunmen intercepted a bus traveling on the highway from Quetta to Taftan, abducted nine labourers from Punjab province, and examined their identification cards before whisking them away to nearby mountains.The militants executed the hostages at close range, said Nushki police chief Ilahi Bakhsh.

Police and paramilitary personnel found the bodies under a bridge, about 3.5km from the highway. "Militants had blocked the highway leading to Taftan, bordering Iran, at midnight on April 13 in Sultan Charai area near Nushki city," Bakhsh said.

The militants also fired at a car attempting to breach their blockade, killing two locals, including the brother of a provincial legislator.

PM Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attacks, expressing his condolences to the victims' families and vowing to punish the perpetrators and their accomplices.