Nushki shooting explained

Nushki Incident
Date:12 April 2024
Venue:Noshki district
Location:Balochistan, Pakistan
Cause:Suspected ethnic separatist militantsIndian spy-related hatred
Target:Passengers from Punjab
Deaths:9

The Nushki incident took place on 12 April 2024 in the Nushki district of Balochistan province of Pakistan, where armed attackers kidnapped 9 passengers and later killed them. The victims, all men from Punjab, were traveling in a bus from Quetta to Taftan when the assailants stopped, identified and took them away. Their bodies were later found under a bridge, each shot to death.

Incident

On the late night of Friday 12 April 2024, a bus from Quetta to Taftan was intercepted by armed assailants.[1] The attackers checked the identity cards of the passengers and kidnapped nine of them. The victims, all men, belonged to Mandi Bahauddin, Wazirabad and Gujranwala areas of Punjab. Their bodies were later found under a bridge near a hill, all shot to death.[2] [3]

Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) in a press release claimed responsibility of the killings and also claimed that upon identifying the nine individuals who were killed, were identified as officials of Pakistani intelligence agencies and multiple identity cards and a significant quantity of SIM cards were found in their possession.[4]

Reactions

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack and called it an incident of terrorism. He expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and assured that the culprits and their facilitators will be punished.[5]

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has also strongly condemned the incident. He demanded from the Chief Minister of Balochistan that the killers of innocent people should be brought to justice.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Gunmen abduct and kill 9 passengers from Punjab after ID check on bus near Balochistan's Noshki . 2024-04-13 . 2024-04-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240413153400/https://www.dawn.com/news/1827193/gunmen-abduct-and-kill-9-passengers-from-punjab-after-id-check-on-bus-near-balochistans-noshki . live .
  2. Web site: 9 labourers offloaded from passenger bus, shot dead in Balochistan's Nushki . 2024-04-13 . 2024-04-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240413072219/https://www.geo.tv/latest/538922-11-people-gunned-down-in-two-terror-incidents-in-balochistans-nushki . live .
  3. Web site: Insurgents kidnap, kill 11 travelers in southwestern Pakistan . 12 April 2024 . 13 April 2024 . 13 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240413122605/https://www.voanews.com/a/insurgents-kidnap-kill-11-travelers-in-southwestern-pakistan/7568222.html . live .
  4. News: نوشکی میں خفیہ اداروں کے نو اہلکاروں کو گرفتار کرکے ہلاک کرنے کی ذمہ داری قبول کرتے ہیں ۔ بی ایل اے . 13 April 2024 . The Balochistan Post . 13 April 2024 . 16 April 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240416190236/https://thebalochistanpost.com/2024/04/%D9%86%D9%88%D8%B4%DA%A9%DB%8C-%D9%85%DB%8C%DA%BA-%D8%AE%D9%81%DB%8C%DB%81-%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%DA%BA-%DA%A9%DB%92-%D9%86%D9%88-%D8%A7%DB%81%D9%84%DA%A9%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%88%DA%BA-%DA%A9%D9%88/ . live .
  5. Web site: 9 passengers killed in Noshki: PM Shehbaz condemns incident in Balochistan . 2024-04-13 . 2024-05-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240523003903/https://www.brecorder.com/news/40298292/pm-shehbaz-condemns-noski-incident . live .
  6. Web site: Bilawal condemns Noshaki terrorism incident . 2024-04-13 . 2024-05-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240512200742/https://www.app.com.pk/domestic/bilawal-condemns-noshaki-terrorism-incident/ . live .