Additional sessions judge among two injured as security forces launch a search operation
QUETTA:
A district and sessions judge and his security guard were killed after unidentified armed men opened fire on their vehicle on the national highway in Balochistan’s Mastung on Thursday, while an additional sessions judge and another person sustained serious injuries, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Bahram Saleem said.
According to the DC, District and Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar was travelling from Quetta to Mastung when unidentified assailants targeted his vehicle on the national highway.
Judge Kakar and his security guard were killed at the scene, while Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari and another person were seriously injured. The wounded were shifted to a nearby hospital, where they are receiving medical treatment.
Following the attack, security forces and law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area, launched a search operation and established checkpoints at various locations to apprehend the attackers.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti strongly condemned the attack, describing it as “an attack on the state itself”. He vowed to bring the perpetrators and their facilitators to justice “at all costs”, saying “the blood of the guardians of the law will not go in vain”.
“The writ of the state will not be challenged,” the chief minister said, adding that there would be “no safe haven for terrorists in Balochistan”. He said operations against anti-state elements would be intensified and every terrorist network operating in the province would be dismantled.
Balochistan CM’s Special Assistant for Information and Political Affairs Shahid Rind also condemned the attack, describing the deaths of the district judge and his security guard as deeply tragic.
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He said targeting judges and lawyers was part of a broader conspiracy and described the assault as a failed attempt to challenge the writ of the state. Rind added that terrorists and their facilitators would not be spared under any circumstances.
He further stated that the government had directed authorities to ensure the injured received the best possible medical treatment and reaffirmed its support for the victims’ families.
Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove also condemned the attack and expressed deep sorrow over the deaths of the judge and his security guard. He said he had sought an immediate report from the Inspector General of Police and the commissioner, directing authorities to arrest those responsible at the earliest.
“The attack on the guardians of the law is a failed attempt to challenge the writ of the state,” Langove said, adding that protecting the lives and property of citizens remained the government’s top priority.
Meanwhile, the Balochistan Bar Council described the attack as an assault on the judiciary, the legal fraternity and the rule of law. The council announced a two-day boycott of court proceedings and three days of mourning. Lawyers will wear black armbands while appearing before courts.
It also demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible and called for enhanced security measures for judges, lawyers and court staff, saying the legal community would remain united against terrorism and in defence of the rule of law.
The attack drew widespread condemnation from political, legal, social and government figures across the province, while prayers were offered for those killed and for the speedy recovery of the injured.
