• Another judge critically injured after terrorists target their vehicle
• President, premier denounce attack; CM Bugti vows to bring terrorists, their facilitators to justice
• Lawyers announce two-day court boycott, three days of mourning

QUETTA: A district and sessions judge and his bodyguard were martyred, while an additional district and sessions judge sustained injuries in a terrorist attack near the Wali Khan railway crossing in Mastung.

According to police and security officials, DSJ Abdul Hakeem Kakar was travelling from Quetta to the sessions court in Mastung, along with ADSJ Tariq Lashari and his security personnel, when unidentified armed assailants attacked their vehicle, before fleeing the scene.

Mr Kakar and his guard Muhammad Zaman were martyred on the spot, while Mr Lashari and another individual sustained critical injuries. The victims were shifted to a nearby hospital, while Mr Lashari was later referred to Civil Hospital Quetta for treatment.

Late-night reports suggested that the Islamic State-Khorasan had claimed responsibility for the attack, but Dawn could not verify the claim.

Funeral prayers for the martyred sessions judge were offered amid tight security measures and attended by provincial cabinet members, MPAs, senior civil and military officials, members of the judiciary, lawyers, and local elders.

Balochistan Governor Jaffer Khan Mandokhel and provincial ministers, including Ziaullah Langove and Ali Madad Jatak on Thursday expressed grief over the martyrdom of Session Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar.

Later, Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti contacted Mr Lashari to inquire about his well-being.

In a statement, described the attack as an assault on the writ of the state and the justice system. He vowed that the terrorists and their facilitators would be brought to justice and that operations against militant networks across Balochistan would be intensified.

Balochistan Governor Jaffar Khan Mandokhail directed law enforcement agencies to ensure the immediate arrest of those responsible while ordering the provision of the best possible medical treatment to the wounded.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack.

President Zardari said that “hostile elements operating with external backing would never succeed in their malicious designs”. He said Pakistan would continue its struggle until terrorism was completely eradicated.

In a separate statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the deaths of Judge Kakar and his gunman and offered condolences to the bereaved families. The prime minister said such cowardly acts would not enable terrorists to achieve their objectives and reiterated the government’s determination to eliminate every form of terrorism from the country.

Bar council announces boycott

The Balochistan Bar Council termed the attack a cowardly act of terrorism against not only the judiciary but also the rule of law and the justice system.

Expressing solidarity with the judges, it announced a two-day province-wide boycott of court proceedings and three days of mourning, urging lawyers to participate in the protest while appearing only in emergency cases.

The council also demanded enhanced security for judges, lawyers, court staff and citizens, warning that the recent rise in terrorist incidents had created an atmosphere of fear in the province.

Nexus with Baloch groups

The terrorist attack against signals a dangerous shift in Baloch­istan, the state-run APP reported on Thursday, accusing terrorist outfits of shifting their focus towards attacks on civilians and state institutions.

Recalling a “sudden wave of violence deliberately directed at non-military, civilian targets”, it said that the targeted attack on sessions judge Kakar, the killing of five labourers in Mashkhel and the attack on bus passengers in Khud Kocha were part of this wave.

The APP report claimed that after BYC leader Mahrang Baloch was sentenced to prison by an Anti-Terrorism Court in Quetta, her associates issued provocative statements that explicitly incited hostility against judges. The martyrdom of judge Kakar comes exactly a year after the statement, it said.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2026