9 Punjab-bound travellers killed in ‘BLF attack’

QUETTA: Unknown men gunned down nine people traveling in two Punjab-bound coaches in the Sur-Dakai area on Zhob-Loralai districts border Thursday evening.

“Nine people abducted from both coaches have been killed and their bodies recovered,” Naveed Alam, Assistant Commissioner, Zhob, confirmed to this reporter.

The Balochistan government spokesman confirmed the incident and said Fitna Al-Hindustan had attacked three places, including Kalat, Mastung and Sur-Dakai area of Balochistan.

“There are reports about kidnapping of some passengers from Sur-Dakai area,” Shahid Rind said late Thursday night, adding that security forces had launched a search operation in the area for recovery of kidnapped passengers.

However, sources said when two Punjab-bound passenger coaches reached the Sur-Dakai area, a group of armed men blocked the NA-70 on the Loralai-Zhob border.

“The armed men entered the coaches and dragged out 10 passengers, seven from one coach and three from the second coach and took them away,” a passenger, who was released by the armed men, told levies officials on his return.

He said, “I don’t know what they did to the other kidnapped people. However, I heard firing while returning. After taking away nine passengers, they allowed both coaches to leave the area.”

The Frontier Corps and other law-enforcement agencies have suspended traffic on N-70 and launched a search operation in the area to trace out the killers.

Sources said armed men checked the CNICs of all passengers and picked up those who were from Punjab. “There are reports about the killing of nine passengers who were kidnapped by the armed men,” a senior police officer of the area said.

Banned outfit Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) has claimed responsibility for the attack and said they had killed nine people. The outfit spokesman said they had launched an attack after blocking the highway between Musakhail-Makhtar and Khajuri areas.