Targeted killing: Jirga leader among 7 shot dead in Khuzdar

QUETTA:

At least seven people, including a jirga leader, were gunned down in the Tutak area of Khuzdar district on Thursday.

Balochistan Levies official Mohammad Hassan told The Express Tribune that tribal elder and jirga leader Saeed Ahmed Qalandrani, was returning to Tutak with his friends when unidentified armed men riding a motorcycle opened fire on them.

Qalandrani, his two guards and his four friends were killed on the spot, official sources confirmed.

The deceased and injured were taken to the District Headquarters’ Hospital for autopsy.

The deceased were identified as Saeed Ahmed Qalandrani, Abdul Hafeez, Mir Nasrullah, Mir Lal Mohammad and Master Qadir. The other two could not be identified. The injured was identified as Abdul Wahid.

“The cause of the incident could not be known but we are investigating,” said Balochistan Levies official Mohammad Hassan.

So far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Earlier, four young people were also gunned down in Khuzdar, fuelling protests in the area.


Published in The Express Tribune, September 14^th, 2012.