Five labourers shot dead in Balochistan's Mashkel: police

• Armed men opened fire on workers at shop: police.
• Victims had travelled from outside the province.
• Terrorists exposed their "sinister intentions": Bugti.
  

QUETTA: Five labourers were shot dead after armed men opened fire on workers at a shop in the Mashkel area of Balochistan's Washuk district, police said on Sunday.

Police said all five victims had travelled from outside the province, adding that the bodies were being shifted to their native areas after completion of legal formalities.

According to police, an investigation into the incident had been launched.

Security sources later said that the attack on the innocent labourers was carried out by Fitna al-Hindustan terrorists.

The victims included Mohammad Bilal, Mohammad Hussain, Muhammad Qadeer, Mohsin and Bilal, they added.

Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down the terrorists, security sources said.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the killing of the unarmed labourers, saying terrorists had once again exposed their "sinister intentions" by targeting innocent workers.

"The objective of terrorists is not the pursuit of any cause but to spread terror, hatred and destabilise Pakistan," CM Bugti said, adding that action against those challenging the writ of the state would become "more decisive".

Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind also condemned the incident, saying the provincial government had taken notice of the attack and ordered an investigation.

"Those involved in the killing of innocent citizens will not escape the grip of the law," Rind said, adding that the government stood with the bereaved families in their time of grief.

The incident comes amid ongoing security operations across the province, during which dozens of India-backed terrorists have been killed.

Security forces launched Operation Shaban following the attack on the Mangi Dam police station in Ziarat. The operation is being conducted jointly by the Pakistan Army, Frontier Corps (FC), and Balochistan Police, sources had said earlier.

Pakistan witnessed a surge in terror activities, particularly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces, since 2021, when the Afghan Taliban came into power.

In response, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, targeting terrorist hideouts across the border.

Despite several rounds of talks, both countries have been unable to reach an agreement, largely due to the Afghan Taliban regime’s reluctance to take action against terrorist outfits.