Two Hazaras killed in Quetta attack

QUETTA: Two people from the ethnic Hazara community were shot dead on Saturday in a sectarian attack in Quetta, police said, as a renewed wave of attacks on minorities and security forces had hit the city.

Two men who were relatives were targeted at their shop in a busy shopping area of Quetta, police said. The attackers then fled on a motorcycle.

Unidentified assailants opened fire on an electronics shop in Jamaluddin Afghani Road area killing two Hazara men on the spot. As a result, two persons named Jaffar and Muhammad Ali died on the spot.

"It is a sectarian killing," senior police officer Abdullah Afridi said. Both men died on the spot after suffering multiple bullet wounds, he said.

It was the third attack on the minority Hazara community this month.

Police and personnel of other law enforcement agencies reached the site as an investigation into the incident was underway.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Geo television reported a protest by shopkeepers and other people in the area after Saturday´s attack. The Hazara community also staged a sit-in protest over the violence earlier this month.