At least five people were killed on Monday as unidentified men opened fire at them in Kech District’s Mand area near the Pakistan-Iran border.
“A vehicle was on its way when unidentified armed men opened fire at them near a river in Mand,” Balochistan Levies official Mohammad Rizwan Baloch said while speaking to The south Punjab News .
The victims were identified as Kareem, Qayum, Nadir, Ameen and Muyeed.
“The suspects threw the bodies out of the car and then set the vehicle on fire,” Mohammad Rizwan said, while adding that the reason for the attack is yet to be ascertained.
Further, Balochistan levies officials stated that according to relatives of the victims, they did not have enmity with anyone. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
Earlier this month, at least two policemen were killed while five others injured in an explosion near Balochistan University in Quetta.
Talking to The south Punjab News, Balochistan Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti confirmed the incident.
“The attack targeted a check-post in which two police personnel lost their lives while five more are injured, including three police personnel,” he said..
Four assailants on two motorcycles sprayed bullets at the pickup, Levies sources told South Punjab News. The victims, who were identified as Abdul Kareem, Ameen, Muhid, Abdul Qayoum and Nadil, died on the spot. The bodies were shifted to Turbat hospital.
The motive behind the attack could not be immediately confirmed, Levies said, adding that personnel had reached the site of the attack as an investigation into the attack went underway.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.
Kech, the land of a romance legend, has always been a place of importance for its geographical location. It has been, and still is, the centre of Makran region; geographically, socially, and politically. Known history of the area ways back to the time of prophet Dawood, when people entombed themselves to avoid famine. The area is said to be possessed by Iranian King Kaus followed by Afrasiab of Turan and then by Kai Khusrau, again an Iranian. Then there is a long list of rulers, including Lehrasp, Gushtasp, Bahman, Huma and Darab, to the year 325 BC when an army contingent of Alexander the Great passed through Makran, then known as Gadrosia, on its way from India to Macedonia. Greek historian Arrian has commented on the land, environment and people of the area. He found the climate very hot, the soil sandy and the land inept for human settlement. Afterwards, the area was ruled by Seleukos Nikator, one of Alexander’s generals, who lost it to Chandragupta in 303 BC. Then the tract of history is lost in darkness for centuries and in the fifth century after the death of Christ, we find the area being given to Bahram-i-Gor as a part of dower of Shermah’s daughter. An ascertained account of the area is found in 643 AD, when Islamic army under the command of Abdullah conquered Makran and wrote to the caliph Umar about aridity of the land. Arabs ruled the land one after the other. All the Arab geographers of the era, like Ibn Haukal, Ibn Khurdadba, Al Istakhri and Al Idrisi, have described the country as “for the most part desert”. In the 10th century Ibn Haukal notices that the ruler of Makran was an Arab, Isa bin Madan, who had established his residence in the city of Kech which was half the size of Multan. According to a local legend, Muhammad bin Qasim also passed through the area on his way to Sind. Although many invaders, like the Deilamis, the Seljuks, the Ghaznivids, the Ghorids and the Mangols, conquered the land but mostly the local rulers, including Hoths, Rinds, Maliks, Buledais and Gichkis, exercised authority in the area as the conquerors had no intentions to stay here.
Kech, the land of a romance legend, has always been a place of importance for its geographical location. It has been, and still is, the centre of Makran region; geographically, socially, and politically. Known history of the area ways back to the time of prophet Dawood, when people entombed themselves to avoid famine. The area is said to be possessed by Iranian King Kaus followed by Afrasiab of Turan and then by Kai Khusrau, again an Iranian. Then there is a long list of rulers, including Lehrasp, Gushtasp, Bahman, Huma and Darab, to the year 325 BC when an army contingent of Alexander the Great passed through Makran, then known as Gadrosia, on its way from India to Macedonia. Greek historian Arrian has commented on the land, environment and people of the area. He found the climate very hot, the soil sandy and the land inept for human settlement. Afterwards, the area was ruled by Seleukos Nikator, one of Alexander’s generals, who lost it to Chandragupta in 303 BC. Then the tract of history is lost in darkness for centuries and in the fifth century after the death of Christ, we find the area being given to Bahram-i-Gor as a part of dower of Shermah’s daughter. An ascertained account of the area is found in 643 AD, when Islamic army under the command of Abdullah conquered Makran and wrote to the caliph Umar about aridity of the land. Arabs ruled the land one after the other. All the Arab geographers of the era, like Ibn Haukal, Ibn Khurdadba, Al Istakhri and Al Idrisi, have described the country as “for the most part desert”. In the 10th century Ibn Haukal notices that the ruler of Makran was an Arab, Isa bin Madan, who had established his residence in the city of Kech which was half the size of Multan. According to a local legend, Muhammad bin Qasim also passed through the area on his way to Sind. Although many invaders, like the Deilamis, the Seljuks, the Ghaznivids, the Ghorids and the Mangols, conquered the land but mostly the local rulers, including Hoths, Rinds, Maliks, Buledais and Gichkis, exercised authority in the area as the conquerors had no intentions to stay here.
