Separatists have been active in the Pakistani region of Balochistan for decades. Now attackers have stopped cars on a road there and killed more than 30 people. President Zardari announced consequences.
Gunmen have killed numerous people in Pakistan. The men stopped several buses, trucks and minibuses on a highway, killing more than 30 people and injuring several others, officials said. The dead were mainly workers from Punjab.
Targeted killing of people from Punjab?
The attack took place early Monday in the impoverished province of Balochistan. The gunmen searched vehicles travelling in both directions, identified people from Punjab and shot them, a senior official told AFP. The attackers set fire to at least 10 vehicles before fleeing.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack as barbaric in separate statements. They announced that those responsible would be held accountable.
Separatists active in region
The sparsely populated province of Balochistan lies in southwest Pakistan on the border with Afghanistan and Iran and is the most unstable province in the country. Separatist groups have been fighting the security forces in the region for decades. Islamist groups and the Pakistani Taliban are also active there.
A local official told AFP that the so-called Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) was probably responsible for the incident. The BLA is the most active armed separatist movement in the region. Hours before the attack, the group had warned people not to travel on highways. However, it has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack.