Armed assailants stormed a house in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province, killing seven laborers and seriously wounding another, a police official said Saturday.
Police officer Zaheer Ahmed reported that the victims, all from Punjab province in eastern Pakistan, were attacked in their rented accommodation. The gunmen entered the premises and opened fire, leaving seven dead and one critically injured. All victims were taken to Panjgur District Hospital.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, separatist groups in Balochistan have a history of targeting workers from Punjab, aiming to force them out of the region. The province has long been embroiled in an insurgency led by groups demanding independence from the central government in Islamabad.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the shootings and expressed his condolences to the victims’ families. “This act of terrorism is deplorable and those responsible will be brought to justice,” Sharif stated.
The incident echoes similar attacks in recent months. In April, gunmen killed nine people from Punjab after abducting them from a bus. Another attack in May saw seven barbers, all from Punjab, fatally shot.
Ahmed stated that an investigation is underway, and the bodies will be transported to Punjab on Sunday.
This latest assault comes in the wake of coordinated attacks in Balochistan last month that resulted in dozens of casualties, marking the highest death toll in a 24-hour period attributed to separatists in recent years.
AP
