QUETTA: Five labourers working on an under-construction road were killed in Balochistan’s Pishin district on Monday.
Officials said the incident took place near the Saranan town along the Quetta-Chaman Highway.
Balochistan Chief Minister’s aide for political and media affairs Shahid Rind said “The labourers were working on an under-construction road in the area when armed men targeted them.”
Sources said the victims had come from Punjab to the area in search of work.
“Armed men arrived at the site on motorcycles and opened fire on the labourers,” a senior police officer posted in the area said on condition of anonymity. He said that the five labourers were killed on the spot, while another sustained injuries. The injured and the bodies were shifted to the district hospital.
This was second such attack in the area in the past three days.
Earlier, on Friday, armed men blew up a police station in Saranan town after taking control of the facility and planting explosives there. Officials said no one was killed or injured, although the police station was badly damaged.
According to the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies’ monthly assessment report, released on July 31, the security situation deteriorated most significantly in Balochistan in the country last month.
The overall death toll increased by 241pc in Balochistan, from 109 in June to 372 in July, the report said.
Security personnel deaths in Balochistan increased from six in June to 62 in July, representing a rise of 933pc. Terrorists’ deaths rose from 75 to 238, while civilians’ deaths increased by 93pc, from 28 to 54. Eighteen members of peace committees were also killed in the province.
Published in Dawn, August 25th, 2026
