A district judge and his security guard were killed on Thursday after suspected militants ambushed their vehicle in the Mastung district of southwestern Pakistan. Authorities reported that the attackers fled the scene immediately following the assault.
Local police chief Abdul Rauf confirmed that Judge Abdul Hakim Kakar was traveling from the provincial capital, Quetta, to Mastung to preside over legal cases when his vehicle was targeted. He and his security guard died as a result of the ambush.
While no organization has claimed responsibility for the attack, authorities suspect the involvement of Baloch separatist insurgents. These groups have significantly increased their attacks on civilians and security forces across the region in recent months.
Balochistan, which is Pakistan’s largest but least populous province, has long dealt with a separatist insurgency as well as violence from the Pakistani Taliban. Suspicion for such attacks often falls on the Baloch Liberation Army, an organization designated as a terrorist group by the United States in 2019. The group has been responsible for numerous strikes against government officials, civilians, and security personnel in recent years.
