QUETTA: Three members of the Hazara community in Quetta were killed and four others injured, including a two-year-old passerby, when armed assailants opened fire on the yellow cab they were travelling in on Spiny Road in the Killi Mubarak area.
Talking to The Express Tribune, SHO Saddar police station Mohammad Anwar said the attack was a case of “targeted sectarian killing”.
Police identified the deceased as Mohammad Ali, Habibullah and Mustafa.
In an immediate reaction to the assault, enraged crowds belonging to the Hazara community blocked the Eastern Bypass and Brewery Road, burning tyres and chanting slogans against the government condemning the targeted killings. Meanwhile, the Hazra Democratic Party (HDP) staged a demonstration outside the Quetta Press Club.
The protesters demanded immediate government action to halt sectarian violence in the provincial capital. According to reports Jaish-e-Islam, a little known group, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Separately, six people were killed while another 14 suffered bullet injuries in three separate attacks on buses in Gokurth and Bala Nari areas of Bolan district.
Sarbaz Baloch, a spokesman for the Balochistan Republican Army (BRA), claimed responsibility for the attacks in reprisal over ignoring the strike called by BRA on the eve of Nawab Akbar Bugti’s death anniversary.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 28th, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ