Gunmen have taken the lives of seven barbers in Pakistan’s volatile Baluchistan province. The attack occurred in the early hours of Thursday morning in a residence near Gwadar, a port city in Baluchistan. The victims, all hailing from Punjab province, lived and worked together, as reported by AP.
Expressing condemnation, Provincial Interior Minister Ziaullah Langau assured that authorities are actively investigating the perpetrators behind this heinous act. While no group has immediately claimed responsibility, Baluchistan has witnessed targeted violence against individuals from Punjab as part of various agendas, including separatist movements and extremist ideologies.
Despite government claims of quelling separatist insurgencies, violence continues to plague the region. Police suspect that the attack on the barbers may not be directly linked to their profession. This incident adds to a series of targeted assaults, including the recent abduction and killing of nine individuals from Punjab by the Baluchistan Liberation Army.
Moreover, separatist factions have previously targeted Punjab workers engaged in coal-mining projects in the province. This incident echoes a similar attack in January, where six barbers were killed in a region once under the control of Pakistani Taliban militants, highlighting persistent challenges to peace and stability in the country’s northwest.
