Pakistan’s former Chief Justice of Balochistan High Court assassinated; shot outside mosque [details]

In the discontented Balochistan province of Pakistan, a former chief justice of the Balochistan High Court was shot and killed as he exited a mosque after praying on Friday evening.

Muhammad Noor Maskanzai, who had sustained several gunshot wounds, passed away as he was being transported to a hospital in Quetta, which is located around 280 kilometres from the town of Kharan. The former CJ was gravely hurt in the targeted shooting as he left the mosque, according to a top police official.

DIG Police Nazeer Ahmed Kurd said, “He had offered his Isha prayers and was coming out of the mosque when unknown persons opened firing on him.” He claimed that two further people were hospitalised after the shooting event with serious injuries and were in critical condition. The purpose of the targeted attack is the subject of a police inquiry that has already begun.

One of the most hazardous regions of the Balochistan province is Kharan, where terrorists and rebels fighting the government are waging an unending campaign of terror. The number of deadly attacks on security personnel, infrastructure, visitors, and residents from other provinces has increased in the past year. A remote-controlled bombing in Mastung earlier that day that injured four persons and claimed the lives of three others purportedly targeted a prominent tribal leader and politician who managed to escape unharmed.

Quetta Bar Association announces boycott of courts

Ajmal Khan Kakar, president of the Quetta Bar Association, has announced a three-day mourning period and a boycott of the courts in response to the occurrence. In a statement, he strongly denounced Muskanzai’s murder and emphasised that every citizen was profoundly pained by the former judge’s martyrdom. He added, “We strongly condemn this incident and demand that the killers must immediately be arrested and brought to book.” He asserted that despite the fact that the ex-judge lived a life marked by dignity and justice, the gap left by his martyrdom will never be filled.