Transporters in Khuzdar, Mastung, Lasbela, and elsewhere in Balochistan are being handed receipts by the terrorists, affiliated with the Fitna al-Hindustan or India-backed BLA, demanding a five percent “Tehreek Tax” (Movement Tax). Those who refuse are being threatened with their vehicles being set on fire and drivers being kidnapped.
Traders, roads, mining sites, banks, and even passenger coaches have effectively become mobile ATMs for these groups.
In March 2025, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) gained international attention after killing over 30 passengers during a hostage attack on the Jaffar Express. However, in retaliation, the state launched “Operation Green Bolan,” in which 33 BLA militants were killed, forcing the remaining members to flee toward Afghanistan.
As a result, large-scale attacks have become increasingly difficult for the group, pushing them instead toward smaller raids and identity-based killings, a logic that eventually led to the tragedy in Loralai.
It’s important to note that the bodies of the 9 Punjabi passengers, who were brutally killed after being identified through their national identity cards in Balochistan, were received at the Balochistan-Punjab border and sent to their native towns.
As per Commissioner Dera Ghazi Khan, Ashfaq Ahmed, the dead bodies of the victims, who were taken off passenger buses and killed in Zhob, were handed over by Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Usman Khalid and Commandant Asad Chandia. The bodies were then sent to their respective hometowns in 15 ambulances, each accompanied by a government officer.
The victims were from various cities including Lahore, Gujrat, Khanewal, Gujranwala, Lodhran, Dera Ghazi Khan, and Muzaffargarh. Among them, two brothers, Jabir and Usman, from Dunyapur in Lodhran, were returning from Balochistan after attending their father’s funeral.
Tragically, they were dragged off the bus in front of their families and taken into the mountains where they were killed, resulting in three funerals from one household. The victims included Muhammad Irfan (D.G. Khan), Sabir (Kamoke, Gujranwala), Muhammad Asif (Muzaffargarh), Ghulam Saeed (Khanewal), Muhammad Junaid (Lahore), Muhammad Bilal (Attock), and Bilawal (Gujrat).
Muhammad Asif from Muzaffargarh had been married only three months ago, and Ghulam Saeed was returning home to care for his ill father, he leaves behind young children, the youngest just four months old. Sabir, from Kamoke, had worked at a food center in Balochistan for 15 years and was the sole breadwinner for his family of four children.
