Insurgents kill 9 Punjab passengers after ID checks in Pakistan’s Balochistan

Nine passengers from Punjab were pulled off a bus and executed by armed insurgents in Pakistan’s violence-plagued Balochistan province on July 11, in what officials described as a targeted ethnic killing.

The attack took place on the national highway in the Zhob district as a passenger bus was en route from Quetta to Lahore. According to Assistant Commissioner Zhob, Naveed Alam, the gunmen stopped the vehicle, checked the identity cards of the passengers, and forcibly removed nine individuals — all of whom were later shot dead on the roadside.

“All nine victims were residents of different parts of Punjab,” Alam confirmed. “Their bodies have been shifted to the hospital for post-mortem and burial formalities.”

No group has claimed responsibility, but such attacks in Balochistan have frequently been attributed to ethnic Baloch insurgent groups, who have a history of targeting non-Baloch communities — particularly Punjabis — in an armed campaign for regional autonomy and control over local resources.

This latest execution-style killing is reminiscent of earlier incidents. In February this year, seven Punjabi passengers were similarly offloaded and killed in Barkhan district. In March, five workers were gunned down in Kalmat near Gwadar port.

The violence wasn’t limited to Zhob. Insurgents reportedly launched coordinated attacks in Quetta, Loralai, and Mastung on the same night. According to Shahid Rind, spokesperson for the Balochistan government, security forces successfully repelled the assaults and no casualties were reported.

However, unverified reports in the local media suggest a broader wave of attacks, including strikes on check posts, police stations, communication towers, banks, and other installations — highlighting a potential resurgence of the insurgency.

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for separatist violence. Armed Baloch groups routinely target military and state installations, as well as Chinese interests linked to the $60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), accusing Islamabad of economic exploitation and marginalization.

The rising frequency of such attacks — especially those marked by ethnic profiling and execution — underscores the fragility of the state’s grip on the province and the persistent failure to address its deep-rooted grievances.