Sessions Judge Killed in Militant Attack in Pakistan's Balochistan, ISIS Claims Responsibility
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Quetta (Terror Monitor) — District and Sessions Judge Abdul Hakim Kakar and his security guard were killed, while Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari was injured in an attack by unidentified militants in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province on Thursday.
According to police, the judges were traveling from Quetta to Mastung when gunmen ambushed their convoy near a railway crossing within the jurisdiction of Wali Khan Police Station.
Judge Abdul Hakim Kakar and his bodyguard, Muhammad Zaman, were killed in the attack, while Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari sustained injuries and was shifted to hospital for treatment.
Security forces and police cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to track down the attackers.
The regional "Wilayah Pakistan" branch of the Islamic State (ISIS) later claimed responsibility for the attack.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the attack, describing it as "an attack on the state."
"We will bring the terrorists to justice at any cost. The blood of the defenders of the law will not be wasted," Bugti said, vowing intensified operations against militant networks and their facilitators.
Balochistan Home Minister Mir Zia Langove also condemned the attack and sought reports from senior police and administrative officials, pledging strict action against those responsible.
The killing sparked protests by the legal community, with bar associations across Balochistan announcing a boycott of court proceedings on Friday and Saturday.
The attack comes amid heightened insecurity in Mastung, where an indefinite curfew remains in place in the Khad Kocha sub-division following a series of recent militant attacks, including assaults on security forces and civilians.
Judge Abdul Hakim Kakar, originally from Qila Saifullah district, joined the judiciary as a judicial magistrate in 1998 and was appointed District and Sessions Judge of Mastung about a year ago. He was regarded as one of the senior and experienced judges in Balochistan's subordinate judiciary.
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