QUETTA: Unidentified armed men carried out a series of attacks across Balochistan on Saturday, killing a lady constable in Turbat, gunning down a renowned Baloch poet and intellectual Professor Ghamkhwar Hayat in Noshki and attacking a Customs check-post in Panjgur where a vehicle was set on fire.
The attacks, which also left the constable’s husband and son injured, drew strong condemnation from the federal and provincial leadership, who described the incidents as acts of terrorism aimed at spreading fear and destabilising peace in the province. According to police, unidentified assailants opened fire on a motorcycle in the Absar area near the Research Farm, killing lady constable Shakeela on the spot, while her husband, Sunil Jan, and their minor child sustained injuries. Following the attack, the assailants managed to flee the scene. Police and rescue teams shifted the body and injured to hospital. Police officials have launched investigations to determine the motive behind the incident, while efforts were underway to trace the suspects.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident. He offered prayers for eternal peace of the deceased and expressed condolences to her family. He directed the authorities to ensure immediate medical treatment for the injured. He said sacrifices of martyrs in the war against terrorism would never be allowed to go in vain.
Chief Minister Balochistan Sarfraz Bugti also condemned the attack, stating that such cowardly acts of terrorism were intolerable. He said the killing of Shakeela was an attack on peace in Balochistan. He added that terrorists were targeting women, teachers and children to spread fear, and vowed that anti-state elements would be brought to justice at all costs. Aide to the Chief Minister for Media and Political Affairs Shahid Rind condemned the killing and expressed sorrow over the injuries sustained by the lady constable’s husband and son, reiterating that those targeting women and children would not be spared. Aide to the Home Minister of Balochistan, Babar Yousafzai, said the killing was an act of open terrorism, adding that firing 31 rounds at an innocent family reflected the extreme cruelty of attackers.
Meanwhile, renowned Baloch poet, writer and intellectual Professor Ghamkhwar Hayat was shot dead by unidentified armed men in Noshki. According to police, the incident took place in the Killi Mengal area, where armed assailants targeted Professor Ghamkhwar Hayat while he was travelling to Quetta. The attackers managed to flee the scene. Rescue officials shifted the body to Teaching Hospital Noshki, where, after the completion of legal formalities, it was handed over to heirs. Police have launched an investigation into the incident, and further action is underway.
Aide to Chief Minister Balochistan Shahid Rind condemned the incident and said the attack on Professor Ghamkhwar Hayat was an assault on Balochistan’s academic, literary and intellectual values. He vowed that the enemies of knowledge and the pen would be brought to justice.
Meanwhile, writers, politicians, student organisations and members of civil society condemned the attack and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice through a transparent investigation. In another development, armed men attacked a Customs checkpost in Panjgur and set a vehicle on fire. According to police officials, the attack took place on the N-85 National Highway, where armed assailants stormed the Customs checkpost, held the staff hostage and torched a vehicle. Security forces rushed to the scene after receiving information about the incident, while further action was underway.
