PM Shehbaz, CM Bugti vow action after Washuk attack kills five labourers

WEB DESK: Five labourers were shot dead after unidentified gunmen opened fire at shops in the Mashkail area of Balochistan’s Washuk district, police said on Sunday.

According to police sources, the attackers targeted shops where labourers were working before fleeing the scene. All five victims were residents of different parts of Punjab.

Authorities said the bodies were being sent to the victims’ hometowns after completing the necessary legal formalities. An investigation into the attack has been launched, while security forces have cordoned off the area and initiated a search operation to trace the assailants.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday strongly condemned the killing of five labourers in the Mashkail area of Balochistan’s Washuk district, describing the attack as a brutal act of terrorism.

In a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, the premier expressed heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and said targeting innocent and unarmed labourers was an “extremely barbaric and cowardly act” that deserved the strongest condemnation.

The statement attributed the attack to militants referred to by the government as Fitna al-Hindustan. PM Shehbaz said those involved in such crimes against humanity deserved no leniency, adding that the militants were targeting innocent civilians to advance their “nefarious agenda.”

He said such cowardly attacks would not weaken the nation’s resolve to eliminate terrorism, reaffirming that the government and security forces remained committed to eradicating terrorism from the country and ensuring the protection of every citizen’s life and property.

In a statement, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned what he described as the “brutal killing of unarmed and innocent labourers” in Mashkail.

“The martyrs were not just Punjabi labourers; they were citizens of Pakistan, hardworking people and our brothers,” Bugti said, adding that the attack was directed not at a single province or ethnic group but at Pakistan’s unity, Constitution and the state.

He said those responsible had exposed their “sinister motives” by targeting unarmed civilians, adding that their objective was not a legitimate struggle but to spread terrorism, hatred, bloodshed and instability in Pakistan.

The chief minister vowed that anti-state elements and their facilitators would not be spared, saying every drop of Pakistani citizens’ blood would be accounted for. He added that all those involved in terrorism would be brought to justice and that operations against those challenging the writ of the state would be intensified.

Security sources blamed on Fitna al-Hindustan, claiming the group had increasingly targeted civilians and other soft targets after suffering setbacks in operations by security forces.