Gunmen kill two Hazara Shia Muslims in Pakistan's troubled Balochistan

Unidentified gunmen have killed two members of Pakistan’s Hazara Shia community in an attack in the country's troubled southwest.

A Pakistani police official said the fatalities occurred in the suburbs of Quetta, the provincial capital and largest city in Balochistan province, on Monday.

"Gunmen on a motorcycle stopped the rickshaw and then opened fire on them and fled the scene," said Abdullah Jan Afridi, a senior police officer in Quetta, adding that the victims, from the Hazara minority group, were laborers in a coal mine.

Afridi said investigations into the deadly assault are underway, adding that it seems to be a “sectarian attack.”

No group or individual has claimed responsibility for the killing yet.

The troubled province of Balochistan, which is rich in gas and mineral resources, has been the scene of violence and numerous attacks over the past years.

SS