I cannot shake the image of two little girls trapped in a car on a deserted mountain road in Balochistan. Their father lay dead behind the steering wheel. Their mother, shot multiple times, struggled to remain conscious—not for herself, but for her daughters.

The attack took place late at night on June 27, 2026. The family was returning to Karachi after a holiday in Balochistan when they apparently took a wrong turn. According to reports, they encountered suspected Baloch insurgents who signalled for the vehicle to stop. Fearing for his family's safety, the father accelerated in an attempt to escape. Gunfire erupted. He was killed instantly.

Inside the vehicle, the horror was only beginning. The burst of gunfire left the two little girls terrified. Despite her own critical injuries, their mother fought to stay conscious, comforting them while desperately trying to contact relatives in Quetta. She could tell them what had happened, but not where they were. Lost on unfamiliar roads in a remote mountainous area, the family remained stranded in the darkness.

Every passing minute reduced the family's chances of survival, yet more than five hours elapsed before the search party finally located them. Those long hours are difficult to comprehend. Two little girls remained inside the vehicle beside their father's body while their wounded mother struggled to stay conscious and reassure them. Around them stretched darkness, silence, and a remote mountainous landscape with no sign of human presence. The isolation itself became part of the ordeal. When relatives and security personnel finally reached the vehicle, the girls reportedly broke down, crying, "Uncle, they killed our daddy!"

The story, however, does not end with the rescue. Tragedies like this test not only our humanity but........

© The Friday Times