QUETTA: Target killings: 2 Shia Hazaras killed, 1 injured in Quetta attack

The Express Tribune News Network.

Target killings continue in Quetta as two Hazaras were killed and another was injured when unidentified gunmen on motorcycles opened fire at them on the Joint Road on Tuesday. According to a senior police officer, Mohammad Tahir and Mohmmad Qadir had come to the office for passport-related work and were attacked outside the main gate of the office at around 7:15am. The assailants immediately fled the scene. “Both the brothers were killed on the spot and another man of the Hazara community received bullet wounds,” the police confirmed. The bodies and injured were taken to the provincial Sandeman Hospital, where stringent security measures were adopted to thwart possible attempt of terrorism. The injured Manzoor Ali was later referred to the Combine Military Hospital (CMH) due to security reasons, sources at the hospital said. “It was a sectarian killing,” another senior investigation officer added. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the killings till the filing of this report. It is pertinent to mention here that around 28 people of Hazara community were killed this year. Some police officers investigating the sectarian killings were also killed in Quetta during the past week. On the other hand, some Sunni religious scholars have also fallen victim to targeted attacks in the provincial capital and religious parties believe that some elements are trying to instigate sectarian violence in Balochistan.