PANJGUR: At least five people were killed and two others injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire on locals at a dam site in Balochistan’s Panjgur district, provincial official Shahid Rind reported on Tuesday.
The victims were local residents responsible for the dam’s maintenance, according to officials. The attack occurred in the Paroom area, with Levies officials indicating that the assailants were armed men on motorcycles.
This incident follows a similar attack nearly a month ago, in which unknown assailants killed seven laborers from Punjab in the same district. Balochistan, the country’s largest province by area, has been a focal point of recent terrorist activity, along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The two provinces account for 97% of the 722 fatalities from terrorist incidents recorded in the first three quarters of this year, as reported by the Centre for Research and Security Studies (CRSS).
In another recent attack, 20 miners were killed in a rocket attack on coal mines in Balochistan’s Duki district, causing more than 40,000 workers to return to their native regions due to safety concerns.
Following the latest attack, the district administration stated that the bodies of the victims have been taken to Panjgur Teaching Hospital, and an investigation is underway.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the attack, calling it “unforgivable” and referring to the perpetrators as anti-national elements opposing peace and development in the province. He vowed to bring those responsible for the attack to justice.
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