Quetta: At least nine passengers were brutally killed after being abducted from a bus en route from Quetta to Lahore, officials confirmed Friday.

The incident occurred near Zhob, a town in northern Balochistan, where heavily armed militants intercepted the passenger bus, forcibly removed selected passengers, and executed them after identification.

Assistant Commissioner Zhob, Naveed Alam, confirmed that the assailants ambushed the vehicle late Thursday night. “After separating the victims from other passengers, they opened fire, killing nine individuals on the spot,” he said.

The bodies of the deceased were transported to Rekhni Hospital in Barkhan district for identification and autopsy.

The attack has sparked nationwide outrage. Shahid Rind, spokesperson for the Balochistan government, strongly condemned the atrocity, labeling it a “cowardly act of terrorism.”

“The terrorists pulled innocent people off the bus, identified them, and executed them in cold blood. This is a heinous crime and a glaring example of the barbarity associated with the Fitna al-Hindustan,” said Rind.

Security forces launched an immediate response operation. Though the perpetrators escaped under the cover of night, a widescale search and cordon-off operation is ongoing, involving local police, paramilitary forces, and intelligence units.