At least eleven people were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in two different terror incidents in Balochistan's Nushki region, authorities reported on Saturday.
Of those killed, nine hailed from different areas of the Punjab province. They were travelling from Quetta to Taftan on a bus when the vehicle they were passengers on was stopped by unidentified militants. The militants then forced them to disembark the vehicle and kidnapped them.
After the incident had been reported, the police had launched a search for the missing labourers. However, the bodies of the abductees were discovered under a bridge next to a hill. The bodies were riddled with bullet wounds.
The deceased hailed from Punjab's Mandi Bahauddin, Wazirabad, and Gujranwala districts. The murdered men were labourers, said Nushki Superintendent of Police (SP) Allah Bukhsh.
Nushki Teaching Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Zafar Mengal stated that the slain men had been sprayed with bullets.
In a separate incident, two people were killed and three others were injured, according to police.
As per the Nushki Deputy Commissioner Habibullah Musakhel, approximately a dozen militants had set up a road block on the Quetta-Nushki-Taftan N-40 National Highway at a steep section of the Sultan Chadhai, which is located about a kilometre from Nushki, on Friday night.
DC Musakhel said that after blocking the highway, the armed men began checking vehicles and fired at one that refused to stop. As a result, one of the men, who was a relative of a provincial assembly member, was killed.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident and sought a report from provincial authorities.
He also expressed sympathy for the loss of life and promised that the terrorists and their facilitators would be held accountable.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti denounced the assassination of eleven people and stated that the terrorists engaged in these horrible acts will not be pardoned.
CM Bugti stated that the terrorists responsible for the assaults will be pursued, adding that their goal was to disrupt Balochistan's peace.
He also expressed grief over the deaths and said that the terrorists and their facilitators would be brought to justice.