Bodies of nine slain in Balochistan bus killing sent to Punjab for last rites

The bodies of nine passengers who were abducted and killed in Balochistan's Loralai district last night were recovered and transported to their hometowns in Punjab for last rites, officials said on Friday.  Assistant Commissioner Naveed Alam said seven of the victims have been identified—hailing from Lodhran, Dera Ghazi Khan, Gujrat, Attock, Khanewal, and Gujranwala—while two remain unidentified due to missing documentation. Among those killed were brothers Usman and Jabir, who were travelling back to Punjab with their family to attend their father’s funeral scheduled for 9am today. Sabir, their brother, shared on social media that their father had died the previous day. On Thursday night, terrorists allegedly affiliated with Fitna al-Hindustan gunned down at least nine passengers from Punjab-bound buses passing through Sardhaka area of Balochistan's Loralai district.  The assailants checked the passengers' ID cards and reportedly targetted individuals with Punjab addresses. The incident occured near the N-70 highway at a site along the Loralai-Zhob border.  Read: Terrorists slaughter nine passengers Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said that the terrorists, who carried out this gruesome attack, belonged to the Fitna al-Hindustan. In May this year, the government designated all terrorist organisations in Balochistan as Fitna-al-Hindu­stan. The term refers to Indian-backed and/or sponsored terrorist organisations operating in Balochistan. Proscibed group Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF) reportedly claimed responsibility for the killings, stating it blocked the highway between Musakhail-Makhtar and Khajuri before targeting the passengers. 'Barbaric act' Condemnations poured in shortly after the attack. President Asif Ali Zardari described the killings as a “barbaric act” and said that it was part of Fitna al-Hindustan’s broader conspiracy to destabilise Pakistan, according to state-run Radio Pakistan. He reaffirmed the state’s commitment to cleanse the country of all such threats and their facilitators, saying, “We will clear our land of Fitna al-Hindustan at all costs”. Similarly, PM Shehbaz condemned the attack in the strongest terms, terming it “blatant terrorism”. He asserted that the perpetrators would be dealt with through full state force. “The blood of innocent people will be avenged,” he said, blaming the Indian state for supporting such acts against unarmed civilians. Meanwhile, Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi denounced the killings as "cowardly barbarism" by “India‑sponsored terrorists and their local facilitators”, vowing nationwide pursuit and punishment of the perpetrators. لورالائی اور موسی خیل کے قریب قومی شاہراہ پر سرہ ڈاکئی کے مقام پر فتنہ الہندوستان کے دہشتگردوں کی بزدلانہ کارروائی وفاقی وزیرداخلہ محسن نقوی کی بے گناہ و معصوم مسافروں کو نشانہ بنانے کی شدید الفاظ میں مذمت — Ministry of Interior GoP (@MOIofficialGoP) July 10, 2025 He expressed sympathy for the bereaved families and reaffirmed the state’s commitment to thwart all plots against national peace and integrity. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the attack as well, describing it as “blatant terrorism” and an unforgivable crime committed solely based on Pakistani identity. Pledging a severe response, he said that the perpetrators had shown themselves to be “cowardly beasts” rather than human beings, and vowed that the state would pursue them relentlessly, leaving them no place to hide.  

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