Five killed in firing near PPP leader’s residence in Balochistan's Khuzdar

Sources say victims were linked to PPP leader Shafiq Mengal; no group has claimed responsibility for attack

At least five people, including a police officer, were killed in a firing incident in the remote Ariange area of Wadh tehsil in Balochistan's Khuzdar district, official sources said.

According to Khuzdar Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Wazir Khan Nasir, law enforcement and security personnel reached the site to secure the area and launch an investigation.

Authorities said the region’s rugged and mountainous terrain posed significant logistical challenges, making early access to the site difficult and delaying efforts to transport the bodies of the victims to a nearby hospital.

Read: 10 terrorists killed in IBO in Balochistan's Khuzdar: state media

Police sources said the victims were affiliated with Pakistan Peoples Party leader and prominent local tribal figure Shafiq Mengal. However, no formal statement has been issued by Mengal or his representatives regarding the incident.

Law enforcement officials have launched an investigation and are collecting forensic evidence from the site to establish the circumstances surrounding the attack and identify the remaining victims. No group has claimed responsibility for the firing.

The incident comes amid a broader rise in security incidents across Balochistan over the past two years. A day earlier, five businessmen abducted from Gulistan tehsil in Killa Abdullah district were recovered and released on Wednesday. Security forces remain on high alert across the region as investigations continue.

It was not the first time Mengal had been targeted. In July this year, he survived a coordinated attack in Khuzdar by the proscribed Balochistan Liberation Army.

The attack began with two vehicle-borne improvised explosive device blasts, believed to have been carried out using suicide car bombs, to breach the compound’s perimeter. A total of 12 militants took part in the operation, with seven entering the compound while five others provided an outer cordon and covering fire.

Mengal survived the attack, but 12 members of his security detail were killed in the ensuing gun battle.