Judge Kakar and Additional Sessions Judge Tariq Lashari were on their way to Mastung from Quetta when unknown armed men attacked the vehicles they were in, Balochistan Home Department’s aide Babar Yousafzai told Dawn.

The armed men targeted Kakar and others at Wali Khan crossing, killing him and his guard on the spot, Yousafzai said.

He added that the two injured, including Lashari, were taken to a hospital in Mastung.

The incident comes a day after three people were killed and five others were injured in a gun attack on a Karachi-bound passenger bus and a bridge on the national highway was blown up in Mastung’s Khud Kocha area.

Subsequently, authorities imposed an indefinite curfew in the Khud Kocha sub-tehsil from 9pm on Wednesday.

Thursday’s attack also follows security forces killing three terrorists this week in Mastung, where the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said two suicide bombers and their facilitator were also apprehended. Another seven terrorists were eliminated in Surab district.

Security concerns have heightened in Balochistan after a spate of major terrorist attacks took place earlier this month, which prompted counterterrorism operations across the province.

Among the counterterrorism efforts was Operation Shaban, in which 91 terrorists were killed between July 5 and July 16, according to security sources cited by state media. This took the tally of terrorists eliminated in operations across the province since July 5 to 129.

In a press release, it said that the opening match is scheduled for May 15, 2027 in Southampton, with the series ending on May 26, 2027.

The second ODI will be played in Manchester on May 19, while Leeds will host the third match on May 21. The fourth and fifth ODIs will be played in Chester-le-Street and Cardiff on May 23 and 26, respectively, the board said.

Pakistan’s men team is currently touring the West Indies for a two-match Test series. Following the series, Pakistan will travel to England for a three-match Test series from August 19 to September 13, the PCB said.

The PCB statement added that next year’s five-match ODI series with England will provide both sides an opportunity to prepare for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027, which will be held in October and November and hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Pakistan are currently ranked fifth in the ICC Men’s ODI rankings, with England following closely behind at the seventh spot.

“The last time Pakistan toured England to play an ODI series was in 2021. In the three-match series, Babar Azam was the leading scorer, accumulating 177 runs in three matches, including an innings of 158 in the third match,” the PCB said.