• Local bank looted, set ablaze; four official vehicles burnt
• BLA claims responsibility for deadly assault

QUETTA: A senior administrative officer was martyred after armed militants launched a coordinated attack on Surab town in Balochistan on Friday, also torching several government buildings and looting a bank.

Balochistan government spok­esman Shahid Rind confirmed the killing, noting that Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Hidayatullah Buledi was gunned down after armed men stormed his residence and opened fire. His family was present during the attack but remained unharmed.

Officials said a large group of militants, travelling on motorcycles and in vehicles, entered Surab, located on the Quetta-Karachi Highway, and cordoned off police and Levies stations before targeting government installations.

According to officials, they set fire to multiple government offi­ces, including police and Levies posts, looted and torched a local bank and burnt four official vehicles.

The banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the assault. “The proxy of Hindustan has con­ducted this attack,” Mr Rind said.

Sources said the armed men initially blocked the Quetta-Karachi Highway at Surab, where they sto­p­ped and searched passing vehicles before moving into the town. After attacking and burning Lev­ies and police stations, they attem­p­ted to loot weapons but were re­pelled by personnel who engaged in a heavy exchange of fire.

The militants also tried to storm the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, but security forces deployed there responded, forcing the attackers to retreat into the nearby mountains.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2025