QUETTA - Seven people, including four members of Hazara community, were gunned down in separate incidents of firing in two different towns of Balochistan on Tuesday while a bullet-riddled body was recovered from Sardar Kareez area of Quetta.
DIG Investigation Hamid Shakeel said three armed assailants riding motorbikes sprayed a volley of bullets on a tyre shop located at Sirki Road in Kabari Market and fled from the scene swiftly after committing the crime.
“Four people received multiple wounds and succumbed to their injuries before shifting to hospital,” he said.
The deceased were shifted to Civil Hospital Quetta for medico-legal formalities where they were identified as Ibrahim, Ghulam Ali, Awaz Ali and Ali Atta. “The incident seemed to be a case of sectarian targeted killing as the victims belong to Shia Muslim sect of Hazara,” said a police official.
Dozens of people hailing from Shia community rushed to the hospital and staged a demonstration, chanting anti- government slogans demanding immediate end to targeted killing of Shia community.
Business centers and markets located at city center, including that of Jinnah Road, Liaquat Bazaar and Shahrah-e-Iqbal were closed after panic spread amongst the people.
It merits mentioning here that Balochistan Government had formulated a security plan to curb incidents of sectarian target killing but it did not yield required results. Balochistan Government has now formed a task force comprising Frontier Corps and Levies personnel to stop incidents of target killings and other crimes.
Separately, gunmen shot dead a member of anti-polio drops administering team in the Rind Garh area of Quetta.
Police said a polio team was engaged administering anti-polio drops near the Labour Colony in Satellite Police Station precincts at Western Bypass when attackers riding a motorbike opened fire at them. Resultantly, Imran suffered gunshots and succumbed to injuries while he was on way to hospital.
Police, referring initial investigation, said deceased reportedly had enmity that might have led to attack on him. Further investigation was underway.
In another incident, two labourers were killed in an armed attack in Buleda area of Kech district.
Levies officials said unidentified armed men opened indiscriminate fire in Buleda killing two labourers, Riaz, and Sher Nawab. The bodies were shifted to nearby state-run hospital for autopsy.
Levies sources said the victims belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkwa and investigations were underway to unearth real causes of murder. No group has claimed responsibility for the killing.