Additional deputy commissioner killed as militants attack residences in Surab

QUETTA: Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Hidayat Baloch was killed after militants attacked a bank and the residences of administrative officials in Surab district.

The Balochistan government said on Friday that militants attacked a bank and the residences of administrative officials in Surab district and killed Hidayat Baloch and set on fire several government officers’ homes.

In a statement, Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind condemned the incident as a “nefarious attempt to challenge the writ of the state” and alleged that the attack was carried out by “Indian proxies.”

According to the spokesperson, the bank in Surab Bazaar was looted and the official residences were set ablaze.

He said ADC Revenue Hidayat Baloch displayed courage and bravery during the attack, and that women and children were present at his residence at the time.

Shahid Rind said that a clearance and search operation is under way in the area and that “all efforts by anti-state elements will be thwarted.”

“Frontier Corps (FC), police, and Levies forces immediately reached the site and cordoned off the area,” he said.

He added that the slain Hidayat Baloch had “set a new example of bravery by sacrificing his life for the homeland” and that the Balochistan government will not tolerate such attacks.

No group has claimed responsibility for the assault so far.

According to security sources, 20 to 30 terrorists of the so-called “Fitna-al-Hindustan” entered Surab Bazaar on motorcycles in the evening.

The attackers targeted soft spots, including banks and markets, the sources said.

Security officials added that ordinary Baloch women and children in the Surab city market were also targeted.

During the assault, Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Hidayat Baloch embraced martyrdom, they said.

Security sources further stated that the India-sponsored terrorists have no connection to Balochistan or Baloch traditions.

On May 21, militants targeted an Army Public School (APS) bus in Khuzdar, Balochistan, killing six people including four children. The Pakistan military said the attack was carried out at India’s behest — a claim New Delhi has denied.