QUETTA: Unidentified gunmen killed five laborers belonging to Pakistan’s Punjab province in the southwestern district of Pishin on Monday, an official said, as Balochistan remains in the grip of ethnic violence. 

The attack took place in Balochistan’s Saranan town in Pishin, located around 57 kilometers (35 miles) from the provincial capital of Quetta. Baber Yousafzai, an aide at the Balochistan Home Department, said the laborers were working on a road construction site in Saranan when armed men opened fire at them. 

“Five laborers who belonged to Punjab province were killed in this latest attack,” Yousafzai told Arab News. “Bodies of the slain have been shifted to Quetta, from where they will be departed to their native villages.”

So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, it was the second major attack in Saranan in less than a week. Dozens of armed men blew up a police station in broad daylight in the area on Aug. 20.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the killing in a statement issued by his office. 

“Those shedding the blood of innocent laborers deserve no leniency,” Bugti said. “The cowardly acts of terrorists cannot weaken the provincial government’s resolve.”

Separatist militant groups in Balochistan, including the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), have frequently targeted laborers from Punjab in various attacks over the years.

Five barbers from Punjab were shot dead in Balochistan’s Mashkail town last month. Police said armed men riding motorbikes opened fire on them while they were inside a barber shop. 

Police also recovered six bullet-riddled bodies of laborers from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces last month, who were abducted by armed men earlier. Their bodies were recovered from Nasir Abad, a remote area located around 40 kilometers from Turbat. 

In April, five laborers from Punjab were injured after unidentified men on motorcycles threw a hand grenade at a house in the Dalbandin area of Chagai district.

Separatist groups, the BLA being the most prominent among them, have frequently attacked law enforcement agencies in Balochistan. These groups demand a greater share of the province’s resources for the locals, accusing the state of exploiting Balochistan’s resources. 

The government and military both reject these allegations. Pakistan’s armed forces have launched thousands of security operations in the areas to eliminate militants. 

Islamabad accuses New Delhi of supporting militant groups in Balochistan, a charge India denies.