Five workers were killed, and two others were injured when armed gunmen attacked a group of dam maintenance workers in Pakistan’s Panjgur district, in the Paroom area of Balochistan, local officials reported on Tuesday.
The injured were taken to a nearby hospital, where they are in stable condition, according to hospital sources.
Balochistan’s government condemned the assault, calling it an act of terrorism. Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti denounced the attack as “an unforgivable act” and pledged that those responsible would be brought to justice. “These terrorist acts, aimed at derailing Balochistan’s progress, will not succeed,” Bugti said. “Those responsible will be held accountable for their actions.”
The attack highlights ongoing security challenges in the region, where separatist groups have often targeted workers on infrastructure projects.
Separately, Pakistani security forces carried out two intelligence-based operations on Sunday in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province, killing four suspected terrorists in North Waziristan and Khyber districts, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
In North Waziristan, security forces killed two suspects, including a man identified as Insaf Ullah, following an intense exchange of fire. The operation followed a suicide bombing a day earlier, in which an explosive-laden rickshaw killed eight people, including four police officers and two army personnel.
A separate raid in Khyber district resulted in the deaths of two more suspects and the injury of three others. ISPR reported that security forces recovered weapons and ammunition, noting that those killed had been involved in multiple attacks on civilians and law enforcement.
“Sanitization operations are underway in the areas to eliminate all terrorist elements,” the ISPR statement read. “Pakistan’s security forces are committed to eradicating the menace of terrorism from the country.”
Both Pakistan’s president and prime minister later commended the armed forces for their actions in the operations, reiterating their resolve to fight terrorism.
