Pakistan bus attack: Baloch rebel check IDs, kill 9; ‘terrorists took documents,' official says
According to Dawn, two buses travelling from Quetta to Punjab were intercepted near Sur-Dakai along the Loralai-Zhob highway. Armed men reportedly blocked the road, boarded the vehicles, and began checking passengers' CNICs.
Those identified as residents of Punjab were taken off at gunpoint and later killed. 'The terrorists forced the two passenger buses to stop on a highway and pulled nine passengers out. They took them in an area nearby and killed all of them,' said local official Naveed Alam, speaking to AFP.
District administrator Saadat Hussain confirmed that the bodies were later recovered from the roadside. 'The forces found the dead bodies all belong to different areas of Punjab,' he told AFP.
'The terrorists must have taken the passengers' identification documents with them,' AC Alam told Dawn.
While no group initially claimed responsibility, the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLA) later took credit. The group has waged a long-running insurgency against the Pakistani state, frequently targeting non-Baloch civilians and military personnel.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Beachfront Living in Mumbai at Sunteck Beach Residences
Sunteck Realty
Learn More
Undo
The Baloch insurgency, which seeks independence from Islamabad, has intensified in recent years despite claims by Pakistani authorities that it is under control. President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the killings, blaming 'terrorists from the outlawed BLA' for seeking to destabilise the country.
The killings echo a similar attack last year in which 23 passengers were killed. Human rights groups and separatists have accused Pakistan's security forces of brutal counter-insurgency tactics, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
8 minutes ago
- First Post
After 20 yrs of socialism, 2 right-wing candidates lead Bolivia presidential run-off
The election was dominated by the South American nation's worst economic crisis in a generation, which saw voters desert the ruling socialists in droves Supporters of Rodrigo Paz, Bolivia's presidential candidate for the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), celebrate waiting for the results of the presidential election in La Paz, Bolivia on August 17, 2025. AFP Two right-wing candidates were expected to advance to a run-off for Bolivia's presidency after topping the first round of elections on Sunday, ending two decades of leftist rule, according to early projections. Center-right Senator Rodrigo Paz was the surprise frontrunner, with over 31 percent of the vote, according to separate projections by Ipsos and Captura pollsters based on partial results . He was followed by former right-wing president Jorge 'Tuto' Quiroga in second with around 27 percent, the projections showed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Millionaire businessman Samuel Doria Medina, who had been tipped to finish first, trailed in third with 19.5-20.2 percent, far ahead of the main leftist candidate, Senate president Andronico Rodriguez. More from World Polls to payments: What India taught the world about serving people on scale The election was dominated by the South American nation's worst economic crisis in a generation, which saw voters desert the ruling socialists in droves. Annual inflation hit almost 25 percent in July as the country runs critically short of fuel and dollars, the currency in which most Bolivians keep their savings. The vote brings the curtain down on 20 years of socialist rule, which began in 2005 when Evo Morales, an Indigenous coca farmer, was elected president on a radical anti-capitalist platform. 'The left has done us a lot of harm. I want change for the country,' Miriam Escobar, a 60-year-old pensioner, told AFP after voting in La Paz. 'Day that will mark history' The main right-wing candidates have vowed to shake up Bolivia's big-state economic model and international alliances. 'This is a day that will mark the history of Bolivia,' Quiroga said after voting in La Paz. He has vowed to slash public spending, open the country to foreign investment and boost ties with the United States, which were downgraded under the combative Morales, who resigned in 2019 following mass protests over alleged election rigging. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Agustin Quispe, a 51-year-old miner, branded Quiroga a 'dinosaur' and said he backed Paz, who campaigned on a populist programme of fighting corruption, cutting taxes and delvering 'capitalism for all.' Shock therapy Many Bolivians have cited the kind of shock therapy administered by President Javier Milei to turn around his country's inflation-wracked economy as a model for their homeland. 'What people are looking for now, beyond a shift from left to right, is a return to stability,' Daniela Osorio Michel, a Bolivian political scientist at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, told AFP. Quiroga, who is on his fourth run for president, touted his experience in government and multilateral organizations as qualifying him for the task of saving Bolivia from bankruptcy. He served as vice-president under ex-dictator Hugo Banzer and then briefly as president when Banzer stepped down to fight cancer in 2001. Morales looms large Morales, who was barred from standing for a fourth term, has cast a long shadow over the campaign. The 65-year-old called on his rural Indigenous supporters to spoil their ballots over his exclusion and threatened mass protests if the right returns to power. Bolivia enjoyed more than a decade of strong growth and Indigenous upliftment under Morales, who nationalized the gas sector and ploughed the proceeds into social programs that halved extreme poverty. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But underinvestment in exploration has caused gas revenues to implode, falling from a peak of $6.1 billion in 2013 to $1.6 billion last year. With the country's other major resource, lithium, still underground, the government has nearly run out of the foreign exchange needed to import fuel, wheat and other key commodities.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
FirstUp: China's Wang Yi in India, Zelenskyy to meet Trump in Washington… The headlines of the day
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be visiting India for a two-day visit, aimed at improving ties between India and China. Also, today (August 18), Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Washington, DC to meet US President Trump. Here's what else to expect from the day Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be in India for two days, starting Monday, August 18. File image/PTI Expect a manic Monday today from the world of news. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will begin his two-day visit to India as part of ongoing efforts by the two neighbours to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that he will travel to Washington, DC to meet US President Donald Trump today. Also, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will visit Armenia. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Here's what else to expect from the day. China's Wang Yi in India Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be in India starting today for a two-day visit to discuss new confidence-building measures for durable peace and tranquillity along their contested border. Wang's visit is largely seen as part of ongoing efforts by the two neighbours to rebuild their relationship after it came under severe strain following the deadly Galwan Valley clashes in 2020. The trip assumes greater significance in view of increasing tensions in India-US relations following President Donald Trump doubling tariffs on Indian goods to 50 per cent that included an additional penalty of 25 per cent for purchasing Russian oil. The Chinese foreign minister will be in India primarily to hold a fresh round of Special Representatives (SR) dialogue on the boundary question with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Wang and Doval are the designated special representatives for the boundary talks. Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Washington to meet with US President Trump after the latter met with Russia's Vladimir Putin in Alaska. File image/AFP Zelenskyy in Washington Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will travel to Washington today for talks with US President Donald Trump, Zelensky announced earlier. 'On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, DC, to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war. I am grateful for the invitation,' Zelensky posted in English on X. He said he supports Trump's proposal for a trilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. 'Ukraine emphasises that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this,' he added. Zelenskyy advocated for the inclusion of European representatives, especially on the issue of security guarantees for his country. Zelenskyy and Trump had earlier had a phone conversation lasting about an hour. European leaders were later connected to the conversation, which lasted more than an hour and a half in total. Trump informed Zelenskyy and the Europeans about the 'main points of their discussion' with Putin, Zelenskyy said. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Downton Abbey auction at Bonhams Downton Abbey fans will be able to bid on props, costumes, and other items from the hit TV show and films in an auction starting today. The sale is being held by the London auction house Bonhams, which will feature everything from dresses to a clapper board. It comes ahead of the release of a third film - Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale - in cinemas in September and follows six highly successful seasons of the show on the small screen. Among the higher-priced items going under the hammer are the Downton Abbey 'bell wall', the servant call system that featured prominently in the television series. It is estimated to fetch up to £7,000. Various dresses will be available, including a wedding costume worn by Lady Mary Crawley - played by Michelle Dockery - in the first episode of season three, priced at £3,000 to £5,000. Google is likely to begin its hearing today in the US. File image/AFP Google on trial Web giant Google will go on trial today after claims of collecting personal data from mobile devices despite users disabling tracking settings. Earlier, a federal judge rejected the argument that the company disclosed about how its web & app activity settings worked. Users of Android and non-Android mobile devices accused Google of invading their privacy and violating a California law against unauthorised fraudulent computer access by intercepting and saving their personal browsing histories without consent. Iran's president in Armenia Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to depart on Monday evening for a two-day tour to Armenia and Belarus. The announcement was made by Mehdi Sanaei, political advisor to Iran's president, in a post on the social media platform X. Sanaei said improving bilateral relations with Armenia and Belarus, especially in the trade area, and signing cooperation documents would be on the president's agenda during the visits, adding that the trips had been scheduled for late June but were postponed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Pezeshkian's visit to Armenia is expected to take place as Armenia and Azerbaijan, which had been at loggerheads over the mountainous Nagorno-Karabakh region since 1988, signed on August 8 a peace agreement in Washington. With inputs from agencies
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Terror accused from Dharmavaram sent to 14-day judicial remand
Tirupati: The Kadiri court sent Kothwal Noor Mohammed, a 42-year-old man from Dharmavaram, suspected to have links with Pakistani terror outfits, to 14-day judicial remand to Kadapa central prison on Sunday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to the police, Mohammed was actively involved in anti-national discussions in about 6 prohibited WhatsApp groups and 30 other WhatsApp groups with terror links being operated from Pakistan. Some of these WhatsApp groups included that of Jaish-e-Mohammed, Sadayi-Jihad, Maqbhuj Ki Awaz, Nazir-Aathi students open political group in Pakistan and Khafiran ki Lia Talwar. Noor Mohammed was also preparing himself to go abroad for training if any terror outfit provided him with an opportunity. The police investigation revealed that Mohammed, who worked as a biryani and tea master at a local hotel, was involved in brainwashing local youngsters visiting the local mosque. The police seized a mobile phone and some literature linked to the jihadi campaign from Mohammed's possession. The mobile phone has been sent to a forensic lab for analysis to uncover the depth of his involvement in cross-border terrorism activities. Addressing a press conference at Puttaparthi on Sunday, Sri Sathya Sai district SP V Rathna stated that the police department will seek the custody of Mohammed for further questioning once the forensic lab reports arrive. The police are investigating Mohammed's background, including his family and how he acquired funds to build a new house with modern amenities. Mohammed was booked under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act-1967 and the BNS Act. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The court remanded him to judicial custody for 14 days, and he will be lodged in the Kadapa Central Prison. The police are working to uncover the extent of Mohammed's involvement in terror-related activities and his connections with Pakistani terror outfits. The investigation is ongoing, and the police are expected to gather more evidence and clues during the remand period.
