On May 9, seven Gwadar barbers were brutally murdered and one was injured by mysterious assailants. The districts of Khanewal and Lodhran in Punjab were home to the victims.
According to information, terrorists started indiscriminate fire on residential buildings close to Fish Harbour Jetty in Sarband, Gwadar. This led to the deaths of seven workers who were asleep and the injuries of another.
Balochistan Home Minister Zia Ullah Langau claimed at a press conference today that the suspects who had been apprehended belonged to the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), and that weapons and firearms had been taken from them.
“Statements have been drawn from them which clearly show they were given orders to kill any Punjabi labourer”, he said, reiterating that foreign forces are behind these terrorist attacks to create chaos in the province.
The minister praised all the institutions for their efforts in carrying out their mandates and obeying government commands, calling the arrest a “great success.”
Langau went on to say that murdering low-wage workers amounted to inciting terrorism in the nation rather than being a fight for rights. He emphasized that the government has given the injured people and their families Rs. 3 million and Rs. 5 million, respectively.
He said that terrorists are attempting to disrupt Balochistani development initiatives and spread unrest throughout the province, and that the government will not stand for such acts of terrorism and will punish those who do them harshly.
The minister went on to say that the administration of Balochistan was formulating a strategy to counter the “new terrorism events gaining much support.”
Read more:Report Reveals Resurgence of Target Killings in Karachi
In less than a month, there have been three attacks on Punjabi nationals in Balochistan, targeting barbershop workers. Two Punjabi laborers were shot and killed in the Tump region of the Kech district on April 28.
On April 13, nine people riding on a bus headed for Taftan were slain at Noshki after being unloaded by BLA gunmen.