Suspected militants in southwestern Pakistan launched an ambush Thursday on a vehicle transporting a district judge, killing him and his security guard before escaping, according to police. The attack came as Pakistan’s army chief pledged to “dismantle terrorist infrastructure wherever it poses a threat to the country and its people.”
The assault took place in Mastung, a district within Balochistan province, where separatist insurgents have been escalating attacks against security forces and civilians in recent months. In response to a series of recent attacks, security forces have killed more than 100 alleged insurgents from Baloch groups across various parts of Balochistan over the past several weeks.
Mastung’s local police chief, Abdul Rauf, confirmed that Judge Abdul Hakim Kakar had been traveling from Quetta — the provincial capital — to Mastung to preside over court cases when “terrorists ambushed his vehicle and killed him” along with his guard.
No group has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the killing. That said, suspicion is expected to center on Baloch separatist insurgents, who have ramped up violence across the province in recent months. The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army is considered a prime suspect.
The judge’s death sparked condemnation from Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, who directed authorities to launch an operation to identify and apprehend those behind the attack.
Also on Thursday, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir declared that military operations against militants in Balochistan and across Pakistan would press forward until “the menace of terrorism and its abettors are eliminated from Pakistan.”
Munir made those remarks at a national workshop held in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where he said that sustained efforts by security forces and law enforcement — with the backing of the public — would ultimately bring lasting peace to Balochistan, according to a statement from the military.
The military also said Munir accused foreign-backed proxy groups of attempting to stoke violence and destabilize Balochistan, but insisted their efforts would be met with a “firm and decisive response” from Pakistan’s armed forces.
Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by land area but its least populated. It has long been the site of a separatist insurgency, as well as attacks carried out by the Pakistani Taliban. The Baloch Liberation Army, which the United States designated as a terrorist organization in 2019, has taken credit for numerous strikes targeting security personnel, government officials, and civilians in recent years.
