Govt strongly condemns massacre of bus passengers in Balochistan

President Asif Ali Zardari on Friday strongly condemned the brutal killing of bus passengers in Balochistan, reiterating the nation’s resolve to purge the country of Fitnatul Hindustan and its facilitators, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

The president, in a statement, said that the terrorists took the innocent citizens off a bus and brutally murdered them.

“This barbarity is a heinous conspiracy by Fitnatul Hindustan to spill blood in Pakistan. They want to create chaos and unrest in Pakistan. We will purge our land of Fitnatul Hindustan’ and its facilitators at all costs,” the president resolved.

He said that the country’s struggle would continue until the scourge of terrorism is completely eradicated.

The president said that he shared the grief of the victims’ families and expressed sympathies for them.

PM vows revenge

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday strongly condemned the kidnapping and killing of bus passengers in Sardhaka area of Balochistan, vowing to avenge the blood of innocent people.

In a statement issued by the PM House in Islamabad, the prime minister said “We will deal with terrorists with full force. The blood of innocent people will be avenged.”

Shehbaz Sharif said that the killing of unarmed civilians was a blatant terrorism by Fitnatul Hindustan. “With resolve, unity, and strength, we will confront the scourge of terrorism and uproot it completely,” he added.

At least nine passengers travelling on two Punjab-bound buses were abducted and massacred by BLA terrorists in Sardhaka area, on the border between Zhob and Loralai districts, on Thursday night.

“Nine people abducted from both vehicles have been killed, and their bodies have been recovered,” said Zhob Assistant Comm­issioner Naveed Alam, adding the bodies were being transported to Rak­hni for dispatch to their native towns in Punjab.

Shahid Rind, the Balo­chistan government’s spo­kes­­person, confirmed the incident and said that Fitna al Hindustan — a term used for terrorist organisations in Balo­chistan — had carried out attacks at three different places — Kakat, Mastung and Sardhaka.

Two passenger coaches on their way to Punjab province were intercepted in the Sardhaka near the N-70 highway, close to Dab — a place along the Loralai-Zhob border. A group of armed men had blocked the road and stopped the two vehicles.

The armed assailants boarded the buses, checked the identity cards of passengers and forced 10 persons off the vehicles at gunpoint.

“They dragged out 10 passengers — seven from one bus and three from the other — and took them away,” a surviving passenger told Levies.

After abducting the nine passengers, the assailants allowed both buses to leave the area.

Security forces suspended traffic on the highway and began a large-scale search operation to locate the perpetrators.

The deceased belonged to Lahore, Dera Ghazi Khan, Khanewal, Gujranwala, Lodhran, Attock and Gujrat.

There were two brothers among the dead who came to Balochistan to attend their father’s funeral.

The Balochistan Liberation Front, a banned outfit, later claimed responsibility for the attack. A spokesman for the group said they had killed the nine individuals after blocking the highway between Musakhail-Makhtar and Khajuri.

Mohsin Naqvi condemns killings

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Sardhaka in which nine passengers lost their lives.

In his message to the heirs and relatives of the passengers, Mohsin Naqvi expressed his heartfelt sympathies. He said that the entire nation will thwart the evil designs of Indian sponsored terrorist and their facilitators.

He vowed to chase the terrorists and eliminate them at all cost.

CM Bugti vows to eliminate all terrorists

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti has also strongly condemned the brutal killing of passengers in Sardhaka, calling it “open terrorism” carried out by elements linked to Fitna al-Hindustan.

Bugti vowed to dismantle all terror networks associated with Fitna al-Hindustan. “We will crush every single terror plan with full force, unwavering resolve, and complete unity,” he said.

Bugti said that the attackers had deliberately targeted innocent civilians based on their identity, calling the act “an unforgivable crime.”

He said the terrorists had once again revealed their cowardly and beastly nature, adding that the blood of the innocent would not go in vain.

“Our response will be tough and decisive,” he added, stressing that this was a war against the state.

Reporters Awais Kiyani and Essa Tareen