Syed Tariq Niaz, a close friend and a longtime associate of the late Mir Murtaza Bhutto, was among three passengers killed after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Quetta-to-Karachi passenger bus in Balochistan’s Mastung district.
According to police, the private passenger coach came under fire near Goro in the Khud Kocha area along the Quetta-Karachi National Highway (N-25) on Wednesday. Officials said armed men positioned on nearby mountains opened indiscriminate fire on the moving vehicle before fleeing the scene.
The other two victims were identified as Inam-ul-Haq from Qila Abdullah and Liaquat Khan from Gulistan. Five passengers were injured in the attack, including Najam, Abdul Hanan of Quetta and Abdul Wali of Pishin. They were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital in Mastung for treatment.
Security forces and rescue teams cordoned off the area and launched a search operation. Authorities have said that no group had officially claimed responsibility for the attack at the time of filing this report.
The killing of Syed Tariq Niaz drew condolences from Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Junior, grandson of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. In a post on X, he shared a photograph of Niaz with his father, the late Mir Murtaza Bhutto, and described the victim as “a man who was like a father to me, who mentored me, guided me and stuck with our family through thick and thin”.
Bhutto Junior also alleged that the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) was responsible for the attack. The allegation has not been independently verified or officially confirmed.
Following the shooting, the Balochistan Home Department imposed an indefinite curfew in Khud Kocha sub-tehsil from 9pm on Wednesday, citing the deteriorating security situation. Home Department spokesperson Babar Yousafzai confirmed that residents were prohibited from unnecessary movement until further orders and warned that strict legal action would be taken against anyone violating the curfew.
Separately, police said a bridge in the Anjari area of Khud Kocha on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway was damaged in an explosion after explosives were planted beneath it.
The blast disrupted traffic on the highway for several hours, although no casualties were reported. Small vehicles were later allowed to pass through alternative arrangements while security forces launched a search operation in the area.
