terrorist attack on a passenger bus near Chilas claimed 9 lives, 25 injured

In a terrorist attack on a passenger bus near the town of Chilas in northern Pakistan have killed atleast nine people and twenty one injured.

This cowardly act occurred at 6:30pm in the Hudur area of Chilas when the bus came under fire and suffered an accident after colliding with an oncoming truck. Unknown gunmen targeted the bus from nearby hills which caused the vehicle to head-on collision with a goods truck.

The armed assailants fired indiscriminately at the bus on Karakoram Highway, which was travelling from Ghizer District to Islamabad.

The interior minister of GB had said the bus driver stepped on the accelerator due to the firing which led to its head-on collision with a goods truck. He had equated the gun attack with terrorism.

The victims belonged to all of Pakistan, including Kohistan, Peshawar, Ghizer, Chilas, Roundu, Skardu, Mansehra, Swabi and one or two people from Sindh as well as two Pakistan Army soldiers also lost their lives in this attack.

GB Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan condemned the “cowardly act of terrorism”, said a statement issued from his office.

It added that a special team was formed for the investigation of the incident and a thorough inquiry was being conducted.

Chilas lies in the mountainous region of Gilgit Baltistan, near the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where attacks have been rising in recent years, including some claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Chilas is a popular stopping point for tourists and is also near a China-backed Diamer-Bhasha Dam under construction.