'Lined up and shot': Gunmen identify, kill 7 Punjabi travellers in Pakistan

NEW DELHI: Gunmen in southwest Pakistan shot dead seven bus passengers on Wednesday after identifying them as being from another region.

"They were lined up and shot dead," senior government official Saadat Hussain told AFP, adding that the attackers forced passengers to hand over their identity cards and removed Punjabis from the bus before executing them.

The attack occurred in the volatile Balochistan province, which has long suffered from separatist violence and militant activity. Security forces have launched a search operation in the area.