Sectarian attack: Five Hazaras injured in Quetta shooting

QUETTA: Five members of the Hazara Shia community were injured in a targeted attack when unidentified armed persons fired at their taxi cab on the Spiny Road here on Friday evening.

Two of the injured persons are stated to be in critical condition.

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Al-Alami, a banned outfit, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Police said that the five men, who were on their way to Marriabad from Hazara Town, were targeted by unidentified assailants near Killi Mubarak.

The attackers were riding on two motorcycles, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Abdul Razzak Cheema said. “The incident appears to be a sectarian targeted shooting,” he said.

The injured were initially taken to the Bolan Medical College Hospital Complex before being shifted to the Combined Military Hospital.

“The condition of two of the injured is serious,” hospital sources said.

Hospital officials denied any death in the incident, rejecting media reports which suggested four persons had died.

Police have registered a case and started investigation.

A search operation was also lunched in the areas along the Spiny Road, but no arrest was reported.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 7^th, 2017.