Editor
Gunmen have killed no less than 22 individuals in south-west Pakistan after forcing them out of their autos and checking their id, officers say.
The assault occurred in a single day on a freeway in Balochistan province, the place safety forces are battling sectarian, ethnic and separatist violence.
The armed males checked id paperwork, reportedly singling out these from Punjab to be shot, earlier than setting the autos alight, officers alleged.
The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a militant group, has claimed duty for the assaults in Musa Khel district.
“The numbers of the militants had been between 30 to 40. They stopped 22 autos,” mentioned Najibullah Kakar, a senior native official, advised AFP information company.
“Vehicles touring to and from Punjab had been inspected, and people from Punjab had been recognized and shot.”
The BLA has mentioned it was concentrating on navy personnel travelling in civilian garments, in response to information company Reuters.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed “deep grief and condemnation over the terrorist assault” in an announcement issued by his workplace.
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province however, though it has extra sources than different provinces, it’s the least developed.
The BLA and different Baloch separatists have intensified assaults on Punjabis and Sinhdis from elsewhere in Pakistan working within the area. They have additionally focused overseas vitality companies they accuse of exploiting the area with out sharing earnings.
In an identical incident in April this yr, 9 passengers had been offloaded from a bus in Balochistan and shot useless after their IDs had been checked.
Over previous 24 hours, the BLA has launched a collection of assaults on a number of authorities installations – together with police stations and safety forces’ camps throughout province.
Several Western nations, together with the UK and US, have designated the BLA as a world terrorist organisation.
