In Balochistan, in southwest Pakistan, a militant strike on a highway on Sunday night claimed the lives of at least 23 people and set ten cars on fire. Armed militants barricaded the road, took people out of trucks and buses, and shot them after they had their identity documents checked. Mohsin Naqvi, the interior minister, confirmed 23 deaths, although senior police official Ayub Achakzai claimed 22 fatalities.
The attackers also killed drivers of trucks carrying coal and set at least ten trucks on fire. The Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility, alleging the victims were military personnel in civilian clothes. However, Pakistan's interior ministry has stated that the deceased were innocent citizens.
Asserting that security forces would react and pursue justice for the victims, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the incident. An ethnic insurgency persists in Balochistan, where terrorists want to break away from Pakistan over resource exploitation, and this is reflected in the violence.
