Gunmen kill seven bus passengers in southwest Pakistan

QUETTA (Reuters) - Unknown armed men killed seven passengers on a Lahore-bound bus in southwest Pakistan's Balochistan province late on Tuesday, officials said.

The attack took place in Barkhan, a district of southwestern Balochistan. The province bordering Afghanistan and Iran is a key battleground in Pakistan's decades-long fight against separatist insurgents, who want greater autonomy and a share of the region's natural resources.

The group of around 40 armed men stopped multiple buses and vehicles, checking national identity cards before forcing the seven passengers off the bus and shooting them, deputy commissioner Waqar Khurshid Alam, a senior administrative official, told Reuters.

All seven victims were from central Punjab province, Alam said.

Khadim Hussain, assistant commissioner for the area, said the killings took place on a highway connecting Barkhan to the southern city of Dera Ghaza Khan in Punjab.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the motive behind the killings was unclear. Officials told Reuters that the area had been cordoned off but the attackers had escaped.

On Friday, a bomb targeting a vehicle carrying coal miners killed at least 11 people and wounded six others.

Last August, separatist militants unleashed a wave of attacks in Pakistan, killing dozens of people. The assaults targeted police stations, infrastructure, and civilians, including a roadside attack that left 23 dead after militants checked IDs and opened fire.

The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) took responsibility for that operation, which it called "Haruf" or "dark windy storm".

The BLA is the biggest of several ethnic armed groups battling the central government.

Insurgent groups have also targeted Chinese nationals and interests in Balochistan.

China is developing the deep-water Gwadar sea port, which is also in the province.

Beijing has invested heavily in regional development projects as part of a $65 billion commitment under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

(Reporting by Saleem Ahmed; Writing by Ariba Shahid in Karachi; Editing by Kate Mayberry)