Armed men storm Qatari minister`s hunting camp in Pakistan

Islamabad: A group of armed men stormed a hunting camp set up by Qatari Minister Shaikh Ali Bin Abdullah in Pakistan`s Balochistan province today and killed a paramilitary personnel, officials said. Deputy Commissioner Abdul Hameed Abro confirmed that Abdullah was not present in the camp when the incident occurred. The Qatari minister was on a hunting trip in Zamuran area of Kech district. A member of the Balochistan Levies militia was killed, The Express Tribune reported on its website. According to an official of Balochistan Levies, the attackers made off with two AK-47s, another weapon and two SUVs. "They torched the camp and a private vehicle before fleeing," he said. The attackers were not identified but the local administration launched a search in the area. Members of the royal families of Qatar and Saudi Arabia visit Balochistan and other parts of Pakistan for hunting expeditions every year. They have to seek a no-objection certificate from the government for the hunting trips.

Balochistan, the most deprived province of Pakistan, is plagued by a separatist insurgency and sectarian violence. The insurgency became deadlier after nationalist leader Akbar Bugti was killed in a military operation in 2006.