Judge, guard killed in attack on vehicles near Mastung in Balochistan
A district and sessions judge and his guard were killed, while another judge was among two injured, after gunmen targeted their vehicles near Mastung, officials said.
A district and sessions judge and his guard were killed on Thursday when armed men targeted vehicles carrying judges on the road from Quetta to Mastung, according to officials in Balochistan. District and Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar died in the attack, along with his guard. Another judge, Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari, was among two people injured and taken to a hospital in Mastung, Balochistan Home Department aide Babar Yousafzai told Dawn. Officials said the attack happened at Wali Khan crossing, where the vehicles were ambushed by unknown armed men. The accounts available so far do not say how many attackers were involved, what weapons were used, or whether anyone has been detained. The incident is a stark reminder of the security risks facing public officials in parts of Balochistan, where travel on key routes can be vulnerable to attacks by unidentified armed groups. The killing of a senior judge is likely to raise concern within the province’s legal and administrative circles, particularly because the attack appeared to target officials travelling together. At this stage, the facts confirmed by officials are limited to the identities of the dead and injured, the location of the attack, and the route they were taking. There has been no immediate public explanation of the motive, and it is not clear whether the judges were specifically targeted or caught in a broader assault on the convoy. Such incidents often trigger a security review, especially when senior officials are attacked in transit. Whether that happens in this case has not been disclosed. The injured, including Judge Lashari, were taken to hospital, but their condition was not specified in the available report. The case now turns on the investigation: who opened fire, why the convoy was targeted, and whether the attackers left any trace that could help identify them. Those answers are still missing, and authorities have not yet released further details.
Source: Dawn Home - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017787/sessions-judge-his-guard-killed-after-vehicles-targeted-en-route-to-mastung
