Suspected militants kill judge, security guard in ambush in restive southwest Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Suspected militants ambushed a vehicle carrying a district judge in restive southwestern Pakistan on Thursday, killing him and his security guard before fleeing the scene, police said, as Pakistan’s powerful army chief vowed to “dismantle terrorist infrastructure wherever it poses a threat to the country and its people.”

The attack occurred in Mastung, a district in Balochistan province where separatist insurgents have stepped up attacks on security forces and civilians in recent months. Security forces responding to multiple recent attacks have killed over 100 alleged insurgents from Baloch groups in various areas in Balochistan in recent weeks.

A local police chief in Mastung, Abdul Rauf, said Judge Abdul Hakim Kakar was traveling from Quetta, the provincial capital, to Mastung to hear cases when “terrorists ambushed his vehicle and killed him” and his guard.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, suspicion is likely to fall on Baloch separatist insurgents, who have intensified attacks across the province in recent months, particularly the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army.

The killing of the judge drew condemnation from Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, who ordered authorities to launch an operation to trace and arrest those responsible.

Also Thursday, Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir said operations against militants in Balochistan and elsewhere in the country would continue until “the menace of terrorism and its abettors are eliminated from Pakistan.”

Speaking at a national workshop in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, Munir said sustained efforts by security forces and law enforcement agencies, backed by public support, would bring lasting peace to Balochistan, according to a military statement.

The military said Munir accused foreign-backed proxy groups of trying to fuel violence and destabilize Balochistan, but said their efforts would be defeated through a “firm and decisive response” by the armed forces.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populous province, has long been the scene of a separatist insurgency, as well as attacks by the Pakistani Taliban. The Baloch Liberation Army, which the United States designated a terrorist organization in 2019, has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks targeting security forces, government officials and civilians in recent years.