Five Punjab labourers shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Balochistan's Washuk
Deputy Commissioner Abdul Majeed Sarparah said the incident took place in Mashkail town, close to the Pakistan-Iran border, when armed men riding motorcycles opened fire on shops where the labourers were working. Police said the five victims suffered multiple bullet injuries and died at the scene, with the attackers fleeing immediately after the shooting.
Police and security personnel rushed to the site after receiving information about the attack and shifted the bodies to a government health facility in Mashkail. Authorities said the bodies were later dispatched to the victims' native towns in Punjab after completing legal formalities.
The deceased were identified as Muhammad Bilal, Muhammad Hassan, Muhammad Qadir, Mohsin, and Bilal, all residents of different areas of Punjab. Washuk Superintendent of Police Javed Zehri said the labourers had been working at local shops when they were targeted.
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Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind condemned the attack, describing the killing of five people in Mashkail as a tragic and reprehensible incident, and said the provincial government had ordered a transparent and impartial investigation.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti also condemned the killings, describing the attack on innocent workers as a cowardly act, and directed law enforcement agencies to bring the attackers to justice without delay.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the incident, describing it as a barbaric and cowardly act. Prime Minister Shehbaz said targeting innocent and unarmed labourers was an extremely barbaric act that could not be condemned enough, adding that those responsible deserved no leniency.
The attack occurred amid the ongoing Operation Shaaban and other counterterrorism operations in the province, in which security forces say they have eliminated 109 terrorists since July 5. No group had immediately claimed responsibility for Sunday's attack.
Balochistan has witnessed a series of similar attacks targeting workers from Punjab in recent years, including the killing of seven labourers near Gwadar in May 2024, 23 travellers shot after being offloaded from vehicles in Musakhail in August 2024, and seven labourers killed in Panjgur the following month.
