• Bus driver shot dead, passenger wounded in attack on coach in Kachhi
• Two shot dead in separate attacks in Khuzdar’s Wadh area
• Three bodies recovered from areas in and around Turbat

DERA MURAD JAMALI / GWADAR: Eight people were killed in separate incidents across Balochistan on Saturday, including a passenger bus driver shot dead in Kachhi and two people gunned down in Khuzdar, police said

A passenger bus driver was shot dead and a traveller wounded after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a coach on N-65 National Highway in Balochistan’s Kachhi district.

The attack occurred near Haji Shahr when a coach travelling from Sadiqabad to Quetta came under gunfire, according to police. The driver, Shamood-ul-Haq, a resident of Quetta, was killed on the spot, while passenger Hazrat Gul, a resident of Musakhel, was wounded.

The body of the driver and the injured passenger were taken to the Teaching Hospital in Sibi, police said.

Following the attack, transporters and passengers blocked the National Highway in protest, halting traffic and accusing police of failing to provide security along the route. The protest ended after negotiations with police officials, and traffic resumed.

Transporters said armed robberies had become frequent at several points along the N-65, including Balanari, Haji Shahr, Kambri Bridge and Bakhtairabad. They said authorities had repeatedly promised to eliminate criminal gangs operating on the highway.

Elsewhere in Balochistan, two people — including a woman — were shot dead by unidentified gunmen in Wadh, Khuzdar district. Police identified the victims as Muhammad Ishaq Bugti and Ayesha, adding that the attackers escaped and an investigation was under way.

In Kech district, police recovered three bodies from separate locations around Turbat over the past 24 hours.

One body was found in the Nasirabad area of Turbat and was identified through a COVID-19 vaccination card found in the victim’s pocket as Badal Khan, a resident of the Jhao area in Awaran district.

Two other bodies were recovered from the Mirani Dam canal area in Dasht and the Kohak forest area of Mirabad and were identified as Sher Jan and Salman, a resident of Khaddam, according to police.

Hospital sources said one of the bodies showed signs of torture, while no gunshot wounds were found. The other victim had reportedly been electrocuted.

Meanwhile, a motorcycle collision near Rabi in the Dera Murad Jamali area killed Muhammad Jan, police said. Another man, Muhammad Ibrahim, was seriously injured and receiving treatment.

In another incident in the Siri Kahn area of Turbat, a young man died after a ceiling fan fell on him while he was asleep at his home, officials said.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2026