Five road construction workers have been killed and another has been seriously injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a worksite in the Sarana area of Balochistan, police said.
The attack took place in the Sulemanzai area while the workers were engaged in road construction, according to police. The assailants fled the scene after the shooting.
Police said that the workers were targeted during work and that the attackers also fired at construction machinery at the site. The five workers were reportedly from Punjab.
Security forces and police reached the site after receiving information about the incident and cordoned off the area.
The bodies of the deceased and the injured worker were subsequently taken to hospital, police said.
The attack was among several reported shootings in the province.
In Awaran, a father and his son were shot dead, while another man was killed in Surab, according to the report. No further details about those incidents were provided.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and Interior Minister Zia Langau condemned the attacks, saying the killing of civilians would not weaken the government’s resolve against terrorism.
“Terrorists should understand that the martyrdom of innocent Pakistanis cannot weaken our resolve,” the two officials said.
They said targeting civilians was evidence of what they described as the “ruthless mentality” of terrorists and added that those responsible did not deserve any leniency.
The authorities did not immediately identify the perpetrators or announce any arrests. Police said an investigation into the attack was under way.
