Six labourers shot dead in Balochistan

QUETTA: Unknown gunmen shot dead six labourers in Kharan, officials said on Friday, in the latest bout of violence to rock the region.

The murders took place overnight in Lajjey, about 170 kilometres southwest of Quetta, where Taliban and Baloch separatists are active. “Unidentified gunmen shot dead six labourers and wounded another, who is in a critical condition,” local government official Hashim Ghilzai said.

The labourers, from Okara, were working on a mobile tower and were sleeping in tents at the site when the gunmen attacked, Ghilzai said, adding that “it appeared to be an act of terror”. Local security official Tariqur Rehman confirmed the incident and casualties. No group has claimed responsibility for the killings. The terrorists have previously targeted Punjabi and Sindhi labourers.