Militants kill 2 policemen in Pakistan’s troubled Balochistan province

Heavily-armed militants attacked a police checkpost and killed two security personnel in Pakistan’s troubled southwestern Balochistan province, an official said on Tuesday.

Assistant Commissioner Mastung Barkat Baloch said militants attacked the checkpost of Levies personnel on Monday night in the Babri area of Mastung district.

He said a search was underway for the assailants who fled after the attack on the checkpost, which is located near the Quetta-Taftan highway – a notorious route used by smugglers between Pakistan and Iran.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but previous such attacks have been blamed on Baloch insurgents and Islamic militants.

Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups have previously carried out several attacks targeting the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack and said the nation paid tribute to its security forces for defending the country.

In a separate statement, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo also strongly condemned the attack and expressed grief at the killing of two personnel.

“The recent incidents of terrorism are a cause for concern as our enemy wants to spoil the peaceful environment of the province,” he said.

He promised that all resources would be used to bring terrorists to book.

Pakistan has witnessed a spike in terror attacks in recent weeks and January was the deadliest month since 2018 with 134 people having lost their lives — a 139 per cent spike — and 254 others injured in at least 44 attacks across the country.

In a separate incident, the bullet riddled bodies of a woman and her two sons were recovered from a well in the Barkhan district area.

A sitting minister and tribal sardar, Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran, has been accused of being behind the killings.

The woman’s husband, Khan Muhammad, has lodged a police complaint that Khetran had imprisoned his wife and children in his private jail as they did not testify in a case of a conflict between Khetran and his son, Sardar Inam Khetran.

A police spokesperson said that a high-level impartial investigation committee will be conducted in consultation with the families of victims whose bodies have been recovered from the well. PTI CORR ZH ZH