Quetta: At least two Shiite Muslims and
one other man were killed when a gunman opened fire in an
apparent sectarian attack in southwest Pakistan today, police
said.
The shooting took place on the outskirts of Quetta,
the capital of oil and gas-rich Baluchistan province, which
borders Afghanistan and Iran.
"A gunman opened fire on two Shiite Muslims and one of
their companions, who were riding two motorbikes. All the
three men died of their wounds on reaching hospital," local
police official Ameer Dashti said.
The gunman -- who had been standing beside the road --
escaped after what appeared to have been a targeted sectarian
killing, he said. A local intelligence official also confirmed
the incident and casualties.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but
Baluchistan is rife with Islamist militancy, sectarian
violence between majority Sunni and minority Shiite Muslims,
and a regional insurgency waged by separatists.
Shiite Muslims account for around a fifth of
Pakistan`s 167-million-strong population, which is dominated
by Sunni Muslims.
Thousands of people have died in sectarian attacks
since the late 1980s.
PTI
