May 17, Pakistan — Two women, a police constable and a teacher, were killed in separate incidents in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan region, according to police sources on Saturday.
During the first attack in Kech district, the female police constable, named Shakeela, was shot dead while she was in a private car with her husband and two children on her way to a local court in Turbat city for work.
She is the second female police officer to be killed by unidentified armed individuals in Balochistan within a month. On April 19, another female officer, Malik Naz Baloch, was killed in a confrontation with militants in the Khuzdar district.
Imran Qureshi, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police in the Makran Division, stated that Shakeela was attacked close to a farm in Turbat while she was accompanied by her husband and her two sons, who are eight and six months old respectively.
Detective Inspector Qureshi stated, ‘Lady constable Shakeela was killed instantly, while her husband and eight-year-old son sustained injuries.’ ‘Shakeela’s six-month-old child, who was sitting on her lap, miraculously survived the attack.’
No organization quickly took credit for what the authorities described as a deliberate assassination.
Shakeela became part of the police department in 2015, yet she has been facing warnings from extremist organizations over the past few months, urging her to leave her position.
Shakeela’s husband was also part of a banned terrorist organization but eventually gave himself up,” DIG Qureshi stated. “It was a savage attack since over 30 bullets were fired at her vehicle, even though there were women and children inside.
In the second incident, Muhammad Hayat Ghamkhuwar, a professor and renowned Brahvi-language poet, was murdered in the Mengal Abad region of Nushki city in Balochistan.
Hayat was attacked by unknown shooters while traveling from his house to Nushki Bazar, according to Nasheeb Pirkani, the officer in charge of the Nushki police station.
Hayat was wounded several times,” Pirkani said to Arab News. “The body has been taken to the hospital, and the search for the perpetrators is ongoing.
No immediate statement of accountability for Ghamkhuwar’s death was made either.
President Asif Ali Zardari strongly criticized the terrorist attacks in the Nushki and Turbat areas, and conveyed profound sadness and anguish regarding the killing of Professor Ghamkhwar Hayat and Lady Constable Shakeela.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif also strongly criticized the terrorist attack in the Kech area of Balochistan.
He offered prayers for the female police officer who lost her life in the incident and requested strength and endurance for the family of the martyr. He directed immediate medical care for the injured.
He stated that the sacrifices made by the martyrs during the conflict with terrorism will not be in vain, and he added, “The government is committed to completely eliminating terrorism from the nation.”
Balochistan’s Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langau referred to the events as an act of overt terrorism and violence. He has requested an immediate report regarding the attacks and promised that those involved will not evade the reach of the law.
Ziaullah Langau stated that attacking women and innocent people demonstrates the most brutal mentality of terrorists, highlighting that such individuals deserve no mercy. He pledged that those responsible will be held accountable at any cost and underlined that the authority of the state will be maintained to eradicate terrorism.
In addition, the Bannu police have eliminated five extremely dangerous and sought-after militants through several intelligence-driven operations over the past 24 hours.
The deceased militants were recognized as Hayatullah, a primary target assassin from the Zargul group; Asad Yar and Naimatullah, who were reportedly associated with the Choki Fateh Khel incident, Mansoor, and another unknown terrorist. Authorities stated that the deceased militants were sought for their involvement in attacks against security personnel, the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD), and civilians.
Additionally, police killed two alleged terrorists linked to the murder of a Rescue 1122 driver on Saturday, while a third terrorist was also killed in a different operation, as reported by Bannu Regional Police Officer (RPO) Sajjad Khan.
Senior comrade killed
The older sibling of the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) member Bahot, Hayat Khan, is said to have been killed by the faction of the BLA led by Bashir Zeb.
The murder is said to have been caused by the unlawful abduction of the vice chancellor from Gwadar University. The incident underscores an expanding divide and intense struggle for dominance and authority among various groups within the militant organization. As per reports, further targeted assassinations and aerial attacks are anticipated in the near future from the conflicting groups and factions.
Australia has recently applied specific counter-terrorism funding sanctions against the BLA and three of its top leaders. This action, declared by Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong, seeks to hinder the group’s financial systems, activities, and recruitment efforts due to violent attacks on civilians and infrastructure in Pakistan.
