By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Gunmen opened fire on a bus traveling on a mountainous highway in northern Pakistan on Saturday evening, killing at least eight people, including two soldiers and a police officer, and injuring 22 others, officials said.
The attack, which the government condemned as a terrorist act, occurred in the Hudur area of Chilas, a popular stopping town for tourists in the Gilgit-Baltistan region that borders China and Afghanistan. The region is known for its scenic beauty and is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a multibillion-dollar infrastructure project.
The bus, operated by a local private company, was carrying passengers from Gahkuch, another town in the region, to the city of Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad.
The gunmen fired from nearby hills, causing the bus to lose control and collide with a goods truck, according to a government statement. The truck driver was also killed in the crash. “An unfortunate incident occurred in which a cowardly act was done, targeting a bus,” the statement said.
It added that the bus driver tried to speed away from the gunfire, but lost control and hit the truck. “The bus collided with an oncoming truck after the shooting, causing both vehicles to catch fire.”
The passengers on the bus hailed from various parts of Gilgit-Baltistan, as well as Kohistan, Mansehra, Peshawar, Swabi, and Sindh. The injured passengers, some of them in critical condition, were shifted to a hospital in Chilas, the headquarters of Diamer district.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which came amid a surge in militant violence in Pakistan, especially in the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and other extremist groups operate.
Haji Gulbar Khan, the chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan, condemned the “cowardly act of terrorism” and said the attackers were “terrorists” who wanted to disrupt the peace and development of the region.
“The government will ensure that the terrorists involved in the attack are given the appropriate punishment,” Khan said in a statement.
“The government of Gilgit-Baltistan stands with the affected individuals in this difficult time. The blood of the martyrs will not go in vain, and all the murderers will be brought to justice.”
The Karakorum Highway, where the attack took place, is a vital link between Pakistan and China and is often used by tourists and traders. It is also a route for transporting goods and materials for the CPEC, which aims to connect the two countries through a network of roads, railways, and pipelines.
The highway passes through some of the world’s highest mountains, including the K2, the second-highest peak in the world.
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