MASTUNG — District and Sessions Judge Abdul Hakeem Kakar was killed in Pakistan's Mastung district on July 23, 2026. Gunmen ambushed vehicles carrying judicial officers traveling from Quetta to Mastung during the incident.

A police guard was killed in the ambush, and Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari was seriously injured in the attack. The violence targeted a convoy moving through a region that has seen intensified security operations in recent weeks.

Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) issued a statement claiming responsibility for the attack. Reports of the ISKP claim have not been independently authenticated by external monitors or security agencies.

Suspicion within Pakistan focused largely on Baloch separatist militants due to their presence and recent activity in the region. Mastung District has been a focal point for Baloch separatist insurgent activity, with the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) and other groups frequently targeting security infrastructure and civilian institutions in the region.

The assassination occurred during wider violence affecting civilian transport, infrastructure, and security personnel in Mastung. In the month preceding the judge's assassination, Mastung district witnessed a 30% increase in terror-related incidents compared to the previous quarter, including attacks on civilian transport and infrastructure.

The attack on the judge occurred just one day after militants intercepted a civilian bus in Mastung, killing three passengers and wounding three others, indicating a coordinated escalation in violence. Security forces eliminated 91 terrorists in Balochistan between July 5 and 16, 2026, as part of Operation Shaban, part of broader counterterrorism efforts in Mastung district.

A completed public investigation has not conclusively identified those responsible for planning and executing the attack. Questions regarding the specific perpetrators remain open as authorities assess the conflicting indicators of ISKP involvement and local separatist capability.

The killing of a senior judicial figure shows the risks facing state institutions in areas with active insurgent networks. The 30% rise in terror-related incidents in the month before the attack suggests a deterioration in local security conditions despite ongoing military operations such as Operation Shaban.

The lack of independent authentication for the ISKP claim and the absence of a conclusive public investigation leave the exact chain of responsibility unclear. This ambiguity complicates the response strategy for security forces operating in a district where both transnational terrorist groups and local separatist militants are active.