Islamabad, June 7 (IANS) In yet another attack on a minority community in Pakistan, at least five people were killed by unidentified assailants in Balochistan province on Sunday evening.
According to police sources, unidentified gunmen opened fire at two shops near Quetta’s Bacha Khan Chowk and killed five people belonging to the Hazara community, Dawn reported.
Four people died on the spot while three others, injured in the incident, were rushed to hospital in Quetta. Later, one of them succumbed to his injuries.
Police said the gunmen managed to escape from the scene. It was an act of targeted killing, police sources said.
In the past few days, more than half-a-dozen Hazara community members have been gunned down in Quetta.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility following the attack.
Balochistan has been experiencing incidents of violence and targeted killings since more than a decade. The largest province of the country by area is home to a low-level insurgency by ethnic Baloch separatists. Al Qaeda-linked militants also operate in the hilly region.