Police official says LeJ actively involved in targetting members of minority Hazara and Christian communities

IS claims responsibility for attack

QUETTA: Four members of a Christian family, including a woman, were gunned down in a targetted attack in Quetta on Monday as four others were killed in separate incidents of violence in the provincial capital of Balochistan.

According to police and media reports, suspected terrorists opened fire on four Christians at the Shah Zaman Road.

Police said that the unidentified attackers were riding a motorbike. They opened fire on a rickshaw, causing the deaths of four Christian passengers, including the rickshaw driver.

A woman was among the four members of Christian community killed in the firing incident. A minor girl was also injured in the attack.

Talking to media, police official Moazzam Jah Ansari stated that the incident could be a targeted attack, confirming that it was an act of terrorism.

Law enforcement agencies and rescue officials reached the site and shifted the bodies to Civil Hospital Quetta. While the police have not been able to ascertain the cause, no group has yet claimed the responsibility for the attack.

According to AP, the militant Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attack on the Christian family in a statement carried by its Aamaq news.

SECURITY ON HIGH ALERT:

According to a senior police officer, who spoke to Pakistan Today on the condition of anonymity, security remained on high alert from Good Friday to Easter.

He stated that there was a threat of terror attack on the Christian community as militant outfits, especially Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, have prioritised gun attacks on the armed forces with Hazaras and Christian community being the other targets, he added.

The police official said that Indian spy agency RAW was actively backing the terrorist attacks in the province to destablise the country.

FOUR KILLED IN SEPARATE FIRING INCIDENT:

Earlier on Monday, at least four people – including a Levies personnel – were killed in an armed clash between two groups on Quetta’s Qambrani Road.

According to reports, a van travelling from Khajoori area of Machh to Quetta was intercepted by two parties who entered an argument that led to a shootout.

Three people were killed in the firing while three others sustained injuries. Those killed include levies personnel named Naveed. The gunfire injured several persons in the van.

The bodies and injured were shifted to Balochistan Medical Complex (BMC) for medico-legal formalities. One of the injured persons, Amanullah, succumbed to injuries and died in the hospital, taking the death toll of Qambrani Road incident to four.

The deceased belong to Bangulzai tribe and the incident appears to be a result of the tribal enmity, police said.