5 killed in attack on police station in Pakistan's Balochistan province

ISLAMABAD: At least five people, including a policeman, were killed and two others injured on Wednesday in an attack on a police station by the militants in Pakistan's restive south-western Balochistan province.

Police said that about 20 militants attacked the Naseerabad Police Station in the Turbat area of the volatile province in the early morning.

District Police Officer Muhammad Baloch confirmed the attack, saying constables Essa and Hassan tried to engage the attackers but the former was killed while Hassan was overpowered. The attacker took possession of the weapons of the two policemen.

The other four killed in the attack were labourers who had come to spend the night at the police station due to fear of attack by the militants after gunmen had killed six workers in an attack on October 14 in Satellite Town of Turbat.

After the attack, the local authorities had asked the workers coming from outside of the province to stay at police stations during the night until the security situation improved.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Such attacks are carried out by the Baloch nationalists against the poor workers mostly belonging to the neighbouring Punjab province who come to the Balochistan province in search of work.

The Baloch extremists allege that the outsiders, especially from the Punjab, steal local jobs and resources and target them.

Balochistan caretaker Chief Minister Ali Mardan Khan Domki expressed regret over the deaths, terming the attack “condemnable and intolerable”.

"No religion in the world allows terrorism,” he said. “The killing of labourers is a sad incident and the involved elements will be brought to justice."

Balochistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, is home to a long-running violent insurgency. Baloch insurgent groups have previously carried out several attacks targeting the USD 60 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor projects in the region.