7 killed in attack in southwestern Pakistan

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Seven people were killed and another was injured in an attack by unidentified assailants in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Thursday morning, officials said.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed the attack in the coastal city of Gwadar, calling it "barbaric" and targeting innocent civilians.

According to local officials, unidentified gunmen entered residential quarters near Gwaradr's fish harbor early in the morning and opened indiscriminate fire, killing seven people, who were sleeping. During the attack, another person was injured.

All of the victims were barbers who worked in local shops in Gwadar and were from Khanewal, a district in northeastern Punjab province.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, but ethnic Baloch separatists have long targeted workers from other parts of the country, primarily from Punjab.

Last month, gunmen killed at least 11 passengers in two separate incidents in Nushki, a remote district in Balochistan.

In the first incident, the gunmen intercepted a vehicle and abducted nine passengers, mostly laborers, after checking their identity and fled to nearby mountains. All the nine abductees were later shot dead, and their bodies were dumped near a bridge.

In another incident, gunmen opened fire on a passenger bus that did not stop, killing two people and injuring another five others. The deceased belonged to Punjab.

In October last year, in a pre-dawn attack on a construction workers' camp near Turbat district, gunmen killed six and injured two.