Balochistan Bus Attack Kills 9 Punjab Passengers

At least nine passengers from Punjab province were abducted and shot dead by armed militants on a highway in Balochistan, Pakistan, after their buses were stopped and identities checked. The attackers targeted individuals from Punjab, separating them from other passengers before executing them, in a tactic linked to previous ethnic violence in the region. Government officials, including President Asif Ali Zardari, blamed the separatist Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) for the attack, but the group denied involvement and claimed it was engaged elsewhere that night. The killings, which drew condemnation from Pakistan's leaders, highlight ongoing ethnic tensions and insurgency in the mineral-rich but impoverished province. Security operations were launched to apprehend the attackers, and the incident adds to a surge in militant violence across Pakistan. No group has formally claimed responsibility for the attack so far.