Abduction and Murder of 19 Bus Passengers in Pakistan's Balochistan

Pakistani officials announced that a group of unidentified armed individuals abducted passengers from two buses in southwestern Pakistan on Friday night, June 8, and killed at least 19 of them. Ismail Ibrahim, a senior official from Balochistan province, told AFP: "The attackers forced these buses to stop and abducted more than 20 passengers. Then they shot and killed 19 of them." The buses were attacked on the route leading to the port city of Karachi in the Mastung area. According to a local official, security forces managed to rescue 5 passengers after exchanging fire with the attackers. He also mentioned that police have cordoned off the area and efforts to apprehend the attackers are ongoing. This report is accompanied by statements from another senior Balochistan official estimating the number of attackers to be between 15 to 20. No group has claimed responsibility for this incident yet, but Balochistan has been a scene of bloody sectarian battles and religious violence for years. The Associated Press reported that one of the Pashtun leaders in the region stated that survivors of the incident mentioned that the attackers forced Pashtun passengers off the bus and lined them up, while allowing Baloch passengers to escape. The news agency also reported that hundreds of Pashtuns in Pakistan gathered on Saturday in front of the Balochistan governor's office in Quetta, the provincial capital, declaring that they would not bury the bodies of the victims until the government guarantees protection for Pashtuns. The father of one of the victims told the Associated Press: "What was the sin of the Pashtun passengers who were killed in the attack on these buses? We demand that the government ensure the attackers are arrested and punished." The protesters' gathering eventually ended peacefully after a meeting and discussion with a provincial official. In this context, Iran's Foreign Ministry has called on Pakistan to be accountable for the "insecurity" at the borders.