Worsening violence in Pakistani Balochistan has struck the area’s road network, in a massacre carried out by separatist militants that has shocked a deeply troubled region.
An attack carried out on bus passengers ended in scores of deaths this week, after gunmen forced passengers to show identity documents.
It was part of a series of at least six deadly attacks in the region between Sunday night and Monday morning, leaving at least 74 people dead in total.
The wave of attacks highlight a troubling surge in violence in a province already plagued by decades of unrest, and have sent shockwaves across Pakistan and on to China, via the economic ties between the countries.
The deepest impact of these ethnic and sectarian clashes is in Balochistan – which as well as being a Pakistani province, in the country’s southwest, also crosses the border into Iran and Afghanistan.
Al Majalla has spoken to some of the surviving passengers on the bus about their ordeal, to produce a first-hand account of an incident that shocked the world and has become emblematic of renewed violence.
The bus jolted to a sudden stop on a desolate road, sending panic through those on board, who were journeying at night in what should have been a routine trip.
It had become a nightmare. Within moments, the doors were flung open, and a group of armed men stormed onto the bus. They seemed hardened by years of conflict and moved with cold precision and deadly intent.
They began checking identification cards and separated men from Punjab, dragging them off the vehicle without so much as a word. The remaining passengers – women, children, and the elderly – were left paralysed with fear, before also being ordered to leave the bus.
Eyewitness accounts
One of them, Asma, outlined her ordeal:
“We were commanded to run—to flee into the dark, into the unknown. With my children in tow, we ran as fast as our legs could carry us, driven by pure survival instinct. Finally, we found refuge in a small mosque not far from where the bus had been ambushed.
“My children clung to me, their small bodies trembling with shock. As we tried to catch our breath and steady our nerves, an all-too-familiar sound filled the air—the unmistakable staccato of gunfire. It was close, far too close.
