2 Hazaras killed in Quetta gun attack

At least two members of the Shia Hazara community were killed and two others injured after they were targeted in Nakhailabad area of Quetta near Western Bypass on Friday, police said.

At least two members of the Shia Hazara community were killed and two others injured after they were targeted in Nakhailabad area of Quetta near Western Bypass on Friday, police said.

According to Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema, 12 people were travelling from Quetta to Karachi in a large van when unknown assailants opened fire at their vehicle, injuring four passengers.

The injured were shifted to a combined military hospital in Quetta cantonment where two of them, including a child, later succumbed to their injuries.

Balochistan has been experiencing incidents of violence and targeted killings since more than a decade. More than 1,400 incidents targeting the minority Shia and Hazara community have taken place in the province during the past 15 years.

While sectarian terrorism in Balochistan has disproportionately targeted the Shia Hazara community, easily identifiable because of their distinctive physical appearance, other Shias — especially pilgrims travelling to and from holy sites have not been spared either.