Armed men kidnap, kill nine bus passengers in Pakistan, say officials
The passengers had been kidnapped from multiple buses on Thursday evening, said provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind.
Their bodies with bullet wounds were found in mountains overnight, another government official Naveed Alam said.
No-one has claimed responsibility.
Separatist Baloch militants have in the past been involved in such incidents, killing passengers after identifying them as coming from the eastern Punjab province.
The Baloch Liberation Army is the strongest of a number of insurgent groups long operating in the area bordering Afghanistan and Iran, a mineral-rich region.
The ethnic Baloch militants blame authorities in Pakistan for stealing their regional resources to fund spending in Punjab province.
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TimesLIVE
28-07-2025
- TimesLIVE
Viral 'honour' killing in southwest Pakistan triggers national outrage
A viral video of the 'honour killing' of a woman and her alleged lover in a remote part of Pakistan has ignited national outrage, prompting scrutiny of long-standing tribal codes and calls for justice in a country where such killings often pass in silence. While hundreds of so-called honour killings are reported in Pakistan each year, often with little public or legal response, the video of a woman and man accused of adultery being taken to the desert by a group of men to be killed has struck a nerve. The video shows the woman, Bano Bibi, being handed a Koran by a man identified by police as her brother. 'Come walk seven steps with me, after that you can shoot me,' she says, and she walks forward a few feet and stops with her back to the men. The brother, Jalal Satakzai, then shoots her three times and she collapses. Seconds later he shoots and kills the man, Ehsan Ullah Samalani, whom Bano was accused of having an affair with. Once the video of the killings in Pakistan's Balochistan province went viral, it brought swift government action and condemnation from politicians, rights groups and clerics. Civil rights lawyer Jibran Nasir said though, the government's response was more about performance than justice. 'The crime occurred months ago, not in secrecy but near a provincial capital, yet no-one acted until 240-million witnessed the killing on camera,' he said. 'This isn't a response to a crime. It's a response to a viral moment.' Police have arrested 16 people in Balochistan's Nasirabad district, including a tribal chief and the woman's mother. The mother, Gul Jan Bibi, said the killings were carried out by family and elders based on 'centuries-old Baloch traditions', and not on the orders of the tribal chief. 'We did not commit any sin,' she said in a video statement that also went viral. 'Bano and Ehsan were killed according to our customs.' She said her daughter, who had three sons and two daughters, had run away with Ehsan and returned after 25 days. Police said Bano's younger brother, who shot the couple, remains at large. Balochistan chief minister Sarfraz Bugti said it was a 'test' case and vowed to dismantle the illegal tribal courts operating outside the law. Police had earlier said a jirga, an informal tribal council that issues extrajudicial rulings, had ordered the killings. The video sparked online condemnation, with hashtags such as #JusticeForCouple and #HonourKilling trending. The Pakistan Ulema Council, a body of religious scholars, called the killings 'un-Islamic' and urged terrorism charges against those involved. Dozens of civil society members and rights activists staged a protest on Saturday in the provincial capital Quetta, demanding justice and an end to parallel justice systems. 'Virality is a double-edged sword,' said Arsalan Khan, a cultural anthropologist and professor who studies gender and masculinity. 'It can pressure the state into action, but public spectacle can also serve as a strategy to restore ghairat, or perceived family honour, in the eyes of the community.' Pakistan outlawed honour killings in 2016 after the murder of social media star Qandeel Baloch, closing a loophole that allowed perpetrators to go free if they were pardoned by family members. Rights groups say enforcement remains weak, especially in rural areas where tribal councils still hold sway. 'In a country where conviction rates often fall to single digits, visibility — and the uproar it brings — has its advantages,' said constitutional lawyer Asad Rahim Khan. 'It jolts a complacent state that continues to tolerate jirgas in areas beyond its writ.' The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported at least 405 honour killings in 2024. Most victims are women, often killed by relatives claiming to defend family honour. Khan said rather than enforcing the law, the government has spent the past year weakening the judiciary and even considering reviving jirgas in former tribal areas. 'It's executive inaction, most shamefully towards women in Balochistan,' Khan said. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in recent months has asked senior ministers to evaluate proposals to revive jirgas in Pakistan's former tribal districts, including potential engagement with tribal elders and Afghan authorities. The prime minister's office and Pakistan's information minister did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Balochistan killings were raised in Pakistan's Senate, where the human rights committee condemned the murders and called for action against those who convened the jirga. Legislators also warned that impunity for parallel justice systems risked encouraging similar violence. Activists and analysts, however, say the outrage is unlikely to be sustained. 'There's noise now, but like every time, it will fade,' said Jalila Haider, a human rights lawyer in Quetta. 'In many areas there is no writ of law, no enforcement. Only silence.' Haider said the killings underscore the state's failure to protect citizens in under-governed regions such as Balochistan, where tribal power structures fill the vacuum left by absent courts and police. 'It's not enough to just condemn jirgas,' Haider said. 'The real question is: why does the state allow them to exist?'
TimesLIVE
11-07-2025
- TimesLIVE
Armed men kidnap, kill nine bus passengers in Pakistan, say officials
Armed men killed nine bus passengers after kidnapping them in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, officials said on Friday. The passengers had been kidnapped from multiple buses on Thursday evening, said provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind. Their bodies with bullet wounds were found in mountains overnight, another government official Naveed Alam said. No-one has claimed responsibility. Separatist Baloch militants have in the past been involved in such incidents, killing passengers after identifying them as coming from the eastern Punjab province. The Baloch Liberation Army is the strongest of a number of insurgent groups long operating in the area bordering Afghanistan and Iran, a mineral-rich region. The ethnic Baloch militants blame authorities in Pakistan for stealing their regional resources to fund spending in Punjab province.
IOL News
10-06-2025
- IOL News
Tensions rise in Pakistan after Baloch rebels kill alleged army agent
The BLA claims Muhammad Ameen and his group were responsible for several attacks on their fighters over the years. Image: Supplied The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a militant group fighting for independence in Pakistan's Balochistan province, says it was behind a deadly bomb blast that killed a man they claim was working with the Pakistani army. The target was Muhammad Ameen, who the BLA says helped the military carry out secret operations in Balochistan. He and his son, Naveed Ameen, were killed when their vehicle was hit by a remote-controlled bomb in the Zamuran area. According to BLA spokesperson Jeeyand Baloch, Ameen was part of a "death squad" that had been working with the army to arrest, kill and make political activists disappear. 'He was protected by the army and allowed to run drug operations in return for his dirty work,' said the spokesperson. The BLA is a separatist group that wants independence for Balochistan, a region in southwest Pakistan. They accuse the Pakistani government of exploiting Balochistan's natural resources while keeping the local people poor, silent and under military control. For years, the BLA and other Baloch nationalist groups have been fighting against the state. This conflict has led to hundreds of deaths, forced disappearances, and widespread fear among local communities. The BLA claims Muhammad Ameen and his group were responsible for several attacks on their fighters over the years. In 2018, they say his squad killed two of their members in the Jalagi area. In 2020, five more BLA fighters were allegedly killed by Ameen's network in another part of Balochistan. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The BLA believes this latest bombing was payback for those killings. Balochistan has been described by human rights groups as one of the most dangerous and heavily policed areas in Pakistan. The Pakistani government says it is fighting terrorists in the region. But local activists say innocent people—especially young men—are often targeted just for speaking out. Harsh security laws in Pakistan give soldiers the power to arrest people without a proper investigation. Many of those arrested are never seen again, and those who are taken to court often face unfair trials in secret military courts. Torture is also commonly reported. One local activist told The Citizen that people in Balochistan are living under constant fear. 'The army can come into your house without warning. People disappear and families never get answers,' the activist said. Adding to the problem is tight media control. Journalists are not free to report on what's really happening in Balochistan, meaning the rest of Pakistan—and the world—rarely sees or hears the full story. The Pakistani government has not responded publicly to the bombing or the BLA's claims. However, the attack is expected to increase tensions in an already unstable region. While the BLA's use of violence is criticised by the state, the group still has support among many Baloch people who feel forgotten and abused by the government. For now, the people of Balochistan remain trapped in a deadly tug-of-war between the military and the rebels—both of whom have been accused of human rights violations.
