A district judge and his security guard were killed on Thursday during an ambush in the Mastung district of Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province. According to local police and government officials, the attack occurred while the judge was traveling to perform his official duties.
Abdul Rauf, a local police chief in Mastung, stated that Judge Abdul Hakim Kakar was en route from Quetta, the provincial capital, to Mastung to preside over court cases when his vehicle was intercepted. The assailants ambushed the vehicle, killing both the judge and his security guard before fleeing the scene.
While no group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, authorities are focusing their investigation on Baloch separatist insurgents. These groups have intensified their operations across the province in recent months, frequently targeting civilians, government officials, and security forces. Suspicion is particularly directed toward the Baloch Liberation Army, an organization that the United States designated as a terrorist group in 2019.
Balochistan, which is Pakistan’s largest province by land area but its least populous, has long been a site of separatist insurgency. The region also faces ongoing security threats from the Pakistani Taliban, contributing to a volatile environment for officials and residents alike.
