MASTUNG: A sessions judge and his police security guard were killed, while an additional sessions judge sustained serious injuries after unidentified gunmen opened fire on their vehicle on the National Highway near Mastung on Thursday.
According to local police, Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar and his security guard, Muhammad Zaman, lost their lives when armed attackers ambushed their official vehicle as they were travelling from Quetta to the Sessions Court in Mastung.
Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari and a judicial magistrate were also injured in the assault and were rushed to Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Memorial Hospital for emergency treatment. Hospital officials said Judge Lashari was taken directly to the operating theatre due to the severity of his injuries.
Law enforcement personnel reached the scene shortly after the attack, cordoned off the area near the Wali Khan Bypass railway crossing, and launched a search operation to track down those responsible.
Initial investigations indicate the judges were on their way to perform official duties when their vehicle came under heavy gunfire.
CM Bugti condemns attack
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti strongly condemned the incident, describing the attack on members of the judiciary as “an attack on the state.”
In a statement, the chief minister vowed that everyone involved in the assault, as well as those facilitating terrorist activities, would be brought to justice.
He said the sacrifices of judicial officers and law enforcement personnel would not go unanswered, adding that the provincial government would continue taking decisive action against militant groups operating in Balochistan.
Bugti also announced that counterterrorism operations across the province would be intensified, stressing that there would be no safe haven for terrorists or their supporters.
Following the attack, security was tightened in and around Mastung, while investigators continued efforts to identify and arrest the assailants.
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