Three media workers gunned down in Quetta

Two armed men stormed Kabbir Building on Jinnah Road killing the three men, who worked for an online news agency

QUETTA: Two journalists and a media worker from a news agency were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire on them in Quetta.

According to SHO Bijli Road police station, two armed men barged into the office of the agency and opened fire at the people inside.

“Senior journalist Irshad Mastoi, trainee reporter Abdul Rasul and an accountant Mohammed Younus were shot. All died on the spot,” said Hashim Shah, SHO Bijli Road police station.

The assailants managed to flee the crime scene.

The bodies of the deceased were shifted to Provincial Sandeman Hospital. Journalists and relatives of the victims rushed to the hospital after hearing about the attack. The bodies were handed over to heirs after legal formalities.

The Balochistan Union of Journalists has condemned the incident.

The Balochistan government has issued a statement condemning the deadly attack.

"The gruesome attack has saddened all journalists," said Irfan Saeed, President of Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ). "The frequent deadly attacks on journalists in Balochistan have negatively impacted the work of journalists," he added.

Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists and other journalists organizations strongly condemned the attack and demanded the government to arrest the culprits involved this gruesome incident.

Biography of Irshad Mastoi

Mastoi, 35, was born in the Jaffarabad district of Balochistan. He received a Masters degree in Mass Communication, and had been in the profession since 2000.

Mastoi worked for different Urdu and Sindhi newspapers as well as TV channels. He lost his right hand in an accident while on duty at the NFC Award Signature Ceremony in Gawadar in 2009, due to high transmission electric shock. However, that did not stop him from writing articles on various issues.

He was working for the Online International News Network as the bureau chief in Quetta and was also a well-known columnist.