Pakistani authorities have recovered the bodies of nine passengers who armed militants abducted during a series of attacks on buses in the restive Balochistan province, located in the country’s southwest.
Officials confirmed on Friday that the victims' bodies, bearing gunshot wounds, were discovered overnight in a mountainous area. The passengers had been kidnapped from two separate buses late on Thursday, according to Shahid Rind, a spokesperson for the provincial government.
The victims, believed to be laborers returning to their homes in Punjab, were reportedly taken after militants stopped the buses and selectively targeted individuals based on their identity. Authorities are currently working to confirm the identities of the deceased and notify their families.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the region has seen repeated violence by Baloch separatists who accuse the federal government of exploiting local resources to fund development in other parts of the country, particularly Punjab.
Similar incidents in the past have involved militants executing passengers after verifying their provincial origin, often targeting those from Punjab to further separatist aims.
Security forces reportedly foiled three additional rebel attacks earlier on Thursday, according to Rind, who also accused India of supporting Baloch insurgents.
Islamabad has long alleged that New Delhi provides funding, training, and logistical support to militants in an attempt to destabilize the region—a claim India strongly denies.
Balochistan is a mineral-rich province and a focal point for major foreign investments, particularly from China, which is financing significant mining and infrastructure projects. Ongoing instability in the area poses a direct threat to these initiatives and regional security.
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