By Our Correspondent :
QUETTA: At least four labourers were shot dead and another injured after unidentified gunmen attacked workers at an under-construction road project in Balochistan’s Pishin district, officials said.
The deadly shooting occurred in the Sulemanzai area near Saranan, along the Quetta-Chaman Highway, where the labourers were engaged in road construction work.
Balochistan Chief Minister’s aide for political and media affairs Shahid Rind confirmed the attack, saying armed men targeted the workers while they were performing their duties at the construction site.
The injured worker was shifted to a district hospital for medical treatment, while the bodies of the four victims were also transported to the facility.
Police and security personnel reached the scene shortly after the shooting, cordoned off the area and launched an investigation to identify and trace those responsible.
Gunmen arrived on motorcycles
According to a senior police official, the attackers arrived at the construction site on motorcycles and opened fire on the labourers.
The four workers suffered multiple gunshot wounds and died at the scene, while another was wounded in the assault.
Initial reports indicated that the victims belonged to Punjab and had travelled to Balochistan in search of employment.
No group was immediately reported to have claimed responsibility for the attack.
Second major incident in Saranan area
The shooting marks another serious security incident around Saranan within days.
Armed men earlier stormed a police station in Saranan town, briefly took control of the facility and held police personnel hostage.
The attackers reportedly ransacked official records before planting explosives at different locations inside the building. Police personnel were taken outside before the explosives were detonated.
No casualties were reported in that incident, but the police station suffered extensive damage.
Violence raises security concerns
The latest killings come amid a series of violent incidents across Balochistan.
Police recently recovered five bodies from different parts of the province, including Chaman, Mastung and Sohbatpur. Four of the victims had reportedly been shot dead.
Earlier in August, eight people were killed in separate incidents across Balochistan, including a passenger bus driver in Kachhi and two people in Khuzdar.
The recurring attacks have intensified concerns over the security of civilians, labourers and personnel working on infrastructure projects in the province.
Balochistan sees sharp rise in fatalities
According to a monthly security assessment by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS) released on July 31, Balochistan witnessed the most significant deterioration in the security situation during the preceding month.
The report said the overall number of deaths in the province surged 241 per cent, from 109 in June to 372 in July.
Fatalities among security personnel rose from six in June to 62 in July, while civilian deaths increased from 28 to 54. The report also recorded 238 militant deaths during July, compared with 75 a month earlier.
Eighteen members of peace committees were also killed during the month, according to the assessment.
The latest attack in Pishin is expected to renew calls for stronger security around development projects and better protection for labourers working in vulnerable parts of Balochistan.
