President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have strongly condemned the brutal murder of bus passengers in Balochistan’s Sardhaka area. The incident, which occurred late Thursday night, saw unidentified armed men abduct and subsequently kill ten passengers, selecting victims based on their identification cards and targeting those from Punjab.

The Balochistan Liberation Army, a banned organization, has claimed responsibility for the attack, stating they targeted individuals with Punjab addresses after stopping two Punjab-bound coaches on the N-70 highway. A surviving passenger recounted how the assailants checked ID cards before forcibly removing ten passengers and opening fire. Security forces have launched a large-scale search operation.

Both the President and Prime Minister have vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice “at all costs.” President Zardari described the killings as part of a larger conspiracy by groups the government terms “Fitna-al-Hindustan,” reaffirming his commitment to eliminating these groups and their facilitators. Prime Minister Sharif pledged to use full force against the terrorists and avenge the deaths of the innocent civilians.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti also condemned the incident, calling it a blatant act of terrorism and vowing a severe response. He described the attackers as “cowardly beasts” and declared a determination to crush all terrorist networks and their sponsors. He characterized the situation as a “state war” and vowed to make Balochistan a “graveyard for enemies.”

This attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting individuals from Punjab in Balochistan. Similar attacks have occurred in recent years, resulting in numerous deaths. The government designated all terrorist organizations operating in Balochistan as “Fitna-al-Hindustan” in May of this year.