Judge, security guard killed in gun attack in Pakistan's Balochistan

District and Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar and his security guard were shot dead on Thursday when unidentified gunmen ambushed their convoy in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province.

Another judge and a second person were wounded, officials said.

What happened in the Mastung gun attack?

The attack took place near Wali Khan crossing as Kakar and Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari travelled from the provincial capital Quetta to Mastung. Kakar and his guard died at the scene, while Lashari and another injured person were taken to a hospital in Mastung for treatment.

The killing adds to a string of recent violence in the district, which has already prompted heightened security measures in the area.

Why is Mastung under an indefinite curfew?

The killings come amid heightened security tensions in Mastung, where authorities imposed an indefinite curfew on Wednesday night. The curfew followed an attack on a Karachi-bound passenger bus that killed three people and wounded five others.

A bridge on the national highway in the Khud Kocha area was also blown up in the same incident. These back-to-back attacks have kept security forces on high alert across the district in recent days.

What other militant attacks have hit Balochistan recently?

The latest violence follows a series of counterterrorism operations in Balochistan. Pakistan's military said earlier this week that security forces killed three militants in Mastung, including two suspected suicide bombers, and arrested another alleged facilitator. It also said seven militants were killed in a separate operation in Surab district.

Balochistan, Pakistan's largest but least populated province, has witnessed a surge in militant attacks in recent months. The rise in violence has prompted security forces to intensify operations across the region.