The group that quickly argued responsibility for the attacks in the Karat district of Balochistan is seeking independence from Pakistan’s government, the Hindustan Times reports.
The bus had travelled to Karachi’s Nangang city when a fire broke out from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan, and when it fled the scene, local police chief Habib Nichali said. The ambulance transported the deaths and was injured at a nearby hospital, he said.
The latest attack comes days after gunmen lured nine people and killed them when they stopped two passenger seats on the highways in Zhob and Lolarai districts of Balochistan. These buses traveled from Quetta to eastern Punjab.
Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind said there is an operation underway to help security forces respond quickly to the latest attacks and track down the perpetrators.
Pakistani Home Minister Mohsin Nakvi condemned the attack and argued that India-backed separatists were responsible. However, he did not provide any evidence to support his claim. Pakistan routinely accused Baroque Liberation Army groups of illegally carrying out such attacks.
Baluchistan is the scene of a long-term rebellion in the southwest of Pakistan, with numerous separatist groups, including the BLA, calling for Islamabad’s independence from Pakistan’s central government. Pakistan says it has scuttled the rebellion, but the violence in the province continues.
rhm/