By Staff Reporter
QUETTA: Nine people were killed in a series of shootings and one tribal clash across Balochistan Province on Saturday, and two others were abducted, as a surge in violence underscored the region’s persistent security challenges, officials said.
The incidents, spread over several districts including Kalat, Panjgur, Kachhi, Jhal Magsi and Chagai, involved targeted attacks by unidentified gunmen, a kidnapping at gunpoint and a deadly dispute over land. Law enforcement agencies have initiated investigations and search operations, but motives in most cases remain unclear, heightening concerns among residents about the province’s fragile stability.
In the most lethal episode, four people were gunned down in the Sarbund area of Khaliqabad, in Kalat District. The victims included a tribal leader, Shakir Saadullah Langove, and his brother, Shakir Khairullah Langove, according to Levies sources. The other two were identified as Muhammad Karim and Muhammad Zahir. Unidentified assailants opened fire before fleeing the scene, officials said. Authorities have launched an investigation into the assault.
Separately, in the Shpistan area of Panjgur District, two individuals were killed by unknown armed men riding a motorbike. Police said the victims, Muhammad Zafar and Muhammad Naeem, were shot dead in the attack. Their bodies were shifted to the district hospital. The cause of the killings is not known so far.
In a kidnapping in Nasirabad District, two excavator drivers employed by a construction company were abducted at gunpoint by unidentified armed men near the Notal police station area. The victims, Aashiq Ali Mohammad Hasni and Shakeel Ahmed Korai, were taken near Rabi Canal Sufi Wah, while their machinery was left behind. Police and security forces have launched a search operation to recover them.
In Kachhi District, Abdul Qadir Kurd was killed by armed assailants who opened fire in Goth Misri Khan. The perpetrators escaped after the attack. Police shifted the body to a hospital for medico-legal formalities before handing it over to the family.
A land dispute escalated into violence in Jhal Magsi District, where an exchange of fire between the Solangi and Wazdani Magsi tribes broke out in the Hathyari area. One man, Muhammad Bachal Magsi, was killed in the clash. The administration quickly reached the site and brought the situation under control.
Meanwhile, in Dalbandin, the headquarters of Chagai District, a prominent tribal leader, Sardar Hussain, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen near the district headquarters. His body was shifted to Prince Fahad Hospital for post-mortem examination. Police collected evidence from the scene and began an investigation, though the motive behind the attack remains unclear.
Law enforcement officials noted that several shooting incidents in Chagai District alone this month have claimed four lives, increasing fear among local residents. The wave of killings, tribal clashes and abductions across Balochistan in recent days has once again drawn attention to the province’s fragile security situation and the urgent need for stronger law enforcement measures.
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